Wicked Melody
by Rabid Biscuit
Summary: Now a king, Zidane is starting to crack under the pressure. After many sleepless nights fearing his newfound power, Zidane finally decides to pack up and hit the road with Tantalus, but there's trouble on the horizon and the Mist is coming back.
1. Early Morning Matinee

This is a rewrite of a rather good story (IMO) that I had been working on extensively and then stopped…and I haven't touched it since March of 2006. I've improved a lot since then, and after recently replaying FFIX, I was struck with the inspiration to redo it…and redo it right.

You can read the original by going to my profile, since the site won't let me use a link for whatever reason. If you do read it, you'll realize how closely this compares to it.

Anyway, without further ado, I present to you, good reader,

Wicked Melody

by the Rabid Biscuit

* * *

**Chapter One**

The great lake of Alexandria looked oddly surreal at night. The two moons' twin reflections, one red and one blue, rippling on the tranquil surface made it look like a portal to another world.

Well, Zidane had dealt with portals to other worlds, and frankly, he was glad that this was not one of them. Its light did, however, remind him of Terra – the blue light from his birth that pulsed through his soul.

Lately he hadn't slept so well. It was roughly five-thirty in the morning, and Zidane had barely managed to get three hours of sleep from around midnight until about three. He had laid awake next to his peacefully sleeping wife for an hour or so, and then he got up and went out onto the balcony to stare out at the lake.

His eyes glanced often towards South Gate, and beyond it, the Lindblum Regency. Then he would catch himself thinking thoughts best not thought and would snap back to the center of the lake where the moon rippled casually. He could sea the eastern skies begin to light up and figured he had best start the day.

The truth was that he was simply not cut out to be the king. He knew it, and he wished he hadn't been so foolish two years ago when he took Garnet's hand in holy matrimony. His was the blood of a thief, an adventurer, a romantic hero (if he did say so himself). Oftentimes nowadays, as he sat stoically in the throne, he would think of the old days parading around with Tantalus – looting, adventuring, winning over girls with his masterful performing. Then he would remember that he was married, he jointly ruled a kingdom, and that he could never return to those days.

What was worse was that he inevitably forced all of his responsibilities on Garnet, and then he felt guilty. Now he just wanted to get away from it all.

Zidane yawned, stretched, and turned back towards their room. "I think I'll go down to Ruby's Mini-Theatre…catch up with her…"

Zidane slipped a black and gold cloak on and slid a pair of exquisite daggers into scabbards on either hip. He glanced back at the figure of Garnet, felt a little flutter in his stomach (for he still very much cared for her), and opened the great wooden doors carefully as not to disturb her.

As he brushed past a pair of Pluto Knights on his trip through the castle foyer, they gave crisp salutes and a hearty good morning. Zidane gave a weak smile and nodded as he passed.

Honestly, he liked palace life for what it was worth. The food was terrific. He had never been treated so well. He was married to the girl of his dreams. But then he remembered traveling and seeing the world, fighting the bad guys and getting the girl in the first place, and the now died away and the then came flooding back. Twenty years old and he was already retired.

As Zidane walked out to the lakeside where the skiff was parked, he bumped into Steiner, who guffawed , cleared his throat, straightened up and saluted. His voice was like a bloody megaphone to the ear. "Ehem, erm…! Good morning, sire! You're up rather early."

Zidane smiled. "At ease, Sir Rusty. Hey, I told you, you don't have to call me sire. We're friends, after all."

After two years, Steiner had really warmed up to Zidane, and they had become good friends. But Steiner was still a man of etiquette, and he simply insisted on referring to Zidane in any number of regal ways.

"I'm sorry, Zidane. It's just…well, you know." Steiner replied.

"No problem. Well anyway, I'm going to head into town and see if anyone's in at Ruby's place. I've been having trouble sleeping lately," Zidane replied.

"Very well. Be careful. The back alleys tend to be dangerous around that part of town."

Zidane actually laughed. "Hey, cut me some slack, Steiner. I'm not so far out of practice that I need to worry." He stepped onto the skiff and the soldier began rowing.

Steiner saluted and returned to his patrol.

As he arrived and strolled down the steps into the famed Mini-Theatre, he was surprised to see how crowded it was. Patrons filled every seat.

Ruby had done some serious expanding over the last two years. The theater was rather un-mini anymore – the stage was easily as big as the Prima Vista's. Ruby had bought up the entire building and converted the upper floors into an inn, pub, and private home. The theater served food and drinks now, as well.

He was rather surprised to see Blank leaning against the wall near the stage, talking with Ruby. Last he heard, their relationship was going better, but with them, it was hard to tell.

"I wonder if all of Tantalus is here…?"

Zidane walked over to his two friends and pulled down his hood, revealing his "dashing" good looks.

"Well rattle mah snake, if it ain't his majesty the great King Zidane! What brings ya down heah, suguh?" Ruby asked, smiling.

"Yo, yer Majesty," Blank said, grinning. "Good to see you."

"It's great to see you guys too. I just had to get out of the palace for a while. What're you doing here, anyway, Blank?" Zidane asked, feeling much more comfortable with his old friends.

Blank gestured for Zidane to follow him backstage. "We're all here. Tantalus is putting on a performance at 6:30. 'The Eidolon and I.'" He pushed open the door to the dark backstage room and the three entered.

"That's an interesting time for a play."

"Yeah, well we like to mix it up," Blank replied, grinning.

The sound of laughter soon reached his ears and Zidane realized that all of Tantalus, including Baku, were here, sitting around a table, hollering, and downing shots of gysahl whiskey. Even over their hoping and hollering and through the thick red velvet curtains, he could hear the loud crowd beyond.

"Hey y'all, look who dropped in for a visit!" Ruby shouted.

The heads of Marcus, Cinna, and Baku all turned toward him in unison.

"Gwahahaha! Well if it isn't our lord and worship! Come over here Zidane, and take a seat. It's been a while," hollered Baku. Zidane felt more elated to see Baku than he had ever felt before – after all, the man was practically his father.

"Hey man, how's it going?" asked Marcus, who slid him a glass of whiskey. Cinna grinned.

Zidane pulled up a chair and sat down next to Baku. Ruby and Blank sat down across from him.

"You have no idea how good it is to see all of you," Zidane said, taking a choked sip of the whiskey. He hadn't had strong liquor like that for years now.

"Gwahahahaha!!! I figured what with rulin' a country we'd be the last people on your mind!" Baku replied, slapping Zidane heartily on the back.

"Hardly! I think about you guys daily. I…" He was about to say how he often wanted to come back and join them again, but thought against it. "I just really miss you guys. You should come visit the castle sometimes – you're old friends of the family!"

Marcus laughed. "Well that's good to hear. We were actually just talking about you before you showed."

A stage attendant slid in the door. "Hey guys! Five minutes until showtime! Get in positions!"

"Arright, darlin'! You n' Baku go make yerselves comfortable front row-center, n' we'll get this show on the road!" Ruby ordered. Baku stood up, sneezed, and tugged Zidane out the door.

As they sat down at their table, Ruby, in full costume, slipped out between the curtains, the light fell, and she began. "Thank y'all for coming this morning to a very special performance by the esteemed Tantalus Troupe from good ol' Lindblum. We hope you all enjoy this rivetin' rendition of Lord Eliston's classic 'The Eidolon and I!'"

The band to the right of the stage began playing the opening score and Ruby began the play. "Now, Lord Anthius of Treno was a prosperous noble in the age of Ipsen, and he-"

At this point, Zidane turned to Baku to talk and catch up. After all, he had seen and performed this play more times than he could count.

"Boss…?" he began.

At first Baku didn't respond, but then he must have realized that Zidane just spoke because his eyes widened a little and he turned. "Funny hearin' you say boss. Anyway, hmm?"

"Remember when I was little…the day you found me scrounging around the streets of Lindblum?" Zidane asked.

"Hell, I'll never forget. Best little thief I ever met. I should know…after all you did lift 300 gil right outta my back pocket! Gwahahaha!"

"Right then and there, you invited me into Tantalus. You didn't even think twice. You took me in and raised me like a son. And that became my home. After all I've been through, after discovering where I really came from, and after getting married and becoming the king, I realized that Tantalus is my real home. That's where I belong."

"Yeah? I know…It's been different without you, Zidane. But…what's your point?" Baku asked, eyeing his adoptive son curiously.

"Well…I…I just miss my life. My life at home. Where I belong. I love Garnet more than anyone in the entire world, but I'm just not cut out to be royalty," said Zidane. Baku sighed.

"I figured this day might come. Well you know you can always come visit us, and I'll try to come see you guys some more, n'…Well hell, we're here together right now. Let's just enjoy the play, huh?"

Zidane nodded. "Sure." He turned his attention to the stage; they were at the scene where Lord Anthius (Marcus) took on Lord Haverforth (Blank) in a duel over the fair maiden (Ruby)'s heart.

"I'll not stand back and see the fair Cassandra wed to a scoundrel like you!" Anthius proclaimed. Haverforth laughed raucously, drawing his sword.

"A scoundrel like me, say you? Ha! You are the only scoundrel here tonight, Anthius! Have at thee!"

With that, they burst into a flashy and impressive sword fight culminating in Anthius pointing his sword at Haverforth's neck, who then plunged down over the edge of the stage, dying the way he lived.

Blank got up, winked at Zidane, and headed backstage to change for another part.

"Gwahahahaha, the old boys still got it, eh Zidane?" Baku declared clapping his hands along with the crowd.

Zidane applauded too – he felt more at home now than he had in ages.


	2. Visiting the Family

**Chapter 2**

Zidane gripped the handle of a particularly pretty silver dagger in the castle armory, eyeing the engraving on the flat of the blade: old runic text that most likely had no meaning. A big red stone was mounted on either side of the hilt, and it was certainly a beautiful weapon, and yet…

"This knife's never seen any action…" he muttered, gently setting it down on the table and turning around to face his stash of old weapons from adventures passed.

The armory was a massive chamber beneath the castle, and an entire wing had been devoted solely to his amassed collection of swords, daggers, and swallows. He glanced to his left and watched a pair of blundering Pluto Knights attempting to find some obscure relic for Steiner – he would be on their case for days if they failed to obtain what he wanted.

Zidane had received many shiny weapons from various higher-ups in the two years since he had become the king, but none of them had the grit that his old standards possessed. Hanging on brackets in the stone wall was one of his personal favorites – the aptly named "Ogre". Made by fusing two Mage Masher's at the handle, it was a spinning torrent of purplish death. It was scuffed, dirty, a little rusty, and miles away from beautiful. But to him, it possessed a quality that nothing forged for his royal hands could own up to.

The only reason he was so picky about this matter was that, as a former thief, he couldn't stand weapons that were forged for honorable duels to the death. It just didn't suit him.

His gloved hand reached out for the Ogre, which he swiftly spun around behind his back and snapped it into a leather belt strapped across his torso. He was going on a little journey today, and wanted to fight something…anything.

"Maybe I should…bring a pair of daggers?" he mused, eyeing a particularly "gritty" pair of Orichalcons he had purchased in Bran Bal, on the now-destroyed Terra. Better to be safe than sorry, after all. With a flourish, he spun and holstered each in the scabbards on either hip.

He was wearing the black, gold, and red cloak he had worn yesterday at the theater. He rather liked it. It was warm, unrestricting, and, well, to be completely honest, disguising. It had a certain class that he liked, as well, for that was one thing he did like about being the king – a lot of his clothes were really good looking.

With a full selection of lethal weapons with which to behead some fowl beast, Zidane turned towards the door.

The female soldier at the door saluted crisply. "Your Majesty, the Red Rose is ready for departure!"

Zidane nodded and silently walked through the double doors. The dark corridors in this part of the castle were a sharp contrast to the white, luminescent hallways directly above him. As he passed under a bracketed torch, he felt curiously lost for a moment.

Walking up into the sunlit foyer through a door in the corner, he spied Garnet speaking with some foreign dignitary over some trivial matter – he looked to be from Lindblum.

"Very well. Alexandria would be most happy to donate, say, thirty million gil to Burmecia to aid in the reconstruction. How much did you say Regent Cid was donating, again?" she asked. For a moment, Zidane was caught in a stupor while staring at her beautiful face. He was still very much in love with her.

"The regent is donating anywhere from seventy to one hundred million, your Highness. I believe he is going to make the final decision based on how much Alexandria donates," replied the dignitary, looking very stiff with his stiff robes, stiff hat, and stiff face.

"In that case…" Garnet began. She then spied Zidane standing across from her and smiled. "Zidane, come here! We're going to donate some money to Burmecia! What do you think?"

Zidane ambled over, attempting to look as casual and slack as he could in contrast to Stiffington here. A funny thought suddenly hit him: What if this guy's name was actually Stiffington?

"Well," he said, rubbing his chin dramatically. "I'd say we donate fifty million. We've got a surplus lately…and Alexandria DID cause the damage after all… It's up to you, but yeah."

Garnet nodded. "Okay, fifty million. Tell the regent that we'll be transporting it over to Lindblum in a week, okay?"

Stiffington nodded, and then bowed low. "Thank you, your Highness. I believe the regent will be most pleased."

With that, he turned about in the same manner as which he did anything, ergo, stiffly. Steiner saluted as he passed through the palace doors, and he was seen no more.

"What a statue…" Zidane muttered. Garnet laughed lightly.

"Well…we should do our part to help, shouldn't we?" she asked. Zidane nodded heartily.

"I just can't believe how long it's taking for Burmecia to rebuild. Lindblum rebuilt in four months."

Garnet nodded solemnly, staring at the marble floors.

"Well, I'm off to the Outer Continent for my bi-monthly "Obligatory Visit-the-Family Day"," he stated, rubbing the back of his head with his right hand.

Garnet merely mumbled something, apparently lost in thought. Then she caught herself. "Oh! Okay. So that's what the weapons are for…Okay, see you tonight…I hope."

Zidane gave her a passionate smooch that made her blush and then ran out the palace doors.

* * *

Immediately after the Red Rose passed over the southern shores of the Outer Continent, Zidane spied the exit of the Fossil Roo and mused at the trading camp that had built up around it.

The real cause of the new global expansion was Cid's steam engine. The Red Rose had been expertly modified to use one, and ran almost like a natively-steam ship. It "hiccupped" every once in a while, but hiccups were better than building a completely new ship.

Cid had gone on to construct the Hilda Garde IV, V, and VI before halting production on the Hilda Garde line and moving onto something even bigger and better. Last he and Zidane had met, he had been reluctant to divulge specific details, but from the gist of what he had said, it would make steam power look like a wind-up toy.

Conde Petie was practically the hub of the Outer Continent now. It never really expanded, given the fact that it was, after all, a single building, but traders parked their ships above the temple whenever they needed to dock, and a camp similar to the one at the exit of the Fossil Roo had formed just outside of the little town.

"I guess that's what we call progress," Zidane mused, twirling an Orichalcon in his right hand.

As they passed over Conde Petie is began to rain, and soon Zidane was forced inside by the wicked onslaught.

The pilot said something about a new clearing, and Zidane glanced out of a window at the forest near the Black Mage Village; indeed, a wide swathe of land perfect for an airship had been carved out of the forest. That saved Zidane about an hour of walking through the thick woods, but it also meant he probably wouldn't be killing any monsters today.

As the Red Rose settled down in the clearing, Zidane ran out on deck and leapt overboard, landing on all fours.

"Hey, it's Zidane!" said a Black Mage near the exit of the clearing. Another looked up from behind a stack of hay bails. "Hey, it is!"

It turned out that the Black Mage's limited life span was variable. Out of all of the originals, more than seventy percent were still alive and well, and there seemed to be no end in site. Zidane rather hoped there wouldn't be an end any time soon, or a town full of soulless genomes might bore him to death.

As Zidane passed the pair of Mages, he smiled and said hello. They were all so nice – it was kind of funny.

Immediately, Vivi came running out of nowhere.

"Hey Zidane! How's it going?"

Zidane grinned, thumping his mage friend on the back. "Oh, you know…same ol', same ol'."

Vivi grabbed Zidane's hand and tugged him towards the center of town. "Everyone will be so glad that you're here! It's been really slow around here for a few weeks, and what with this rain…I've been inside all day! C'mon, come say hi to Mikoto!"

As Zidane passed a trio of genomes, he smiled and waved. They merely nodded and waved back, faces utterly devoid of emotion. He knew they would get there, though. It was just like with the mages – it happened for some quicker than for others.

The pair passed the chocobo hut, which had expanded to accommodate multiple birds, and entered what could be called "town square". Every Black Mage that passed by greeted him with some variation of "Hello, Zidane." The genomes either took no notice of him or simply nodded.

At Mikoto's hut, Vivi rapped on the door. "Hey Mikoto, Zidane's here!!!"

The genome came out of her door and smiled the sort of vacant smile that Zidane associated with other genomes. If he didn't know that she possessed a soul, he would think she was just like all the others.

She was interesting though. Some days she was really happy to see him (note that "really happy" in her case was more like "fairly pleased" to anyone else), but other days, she was mad, or sad, or just completely uncaring.

"Hey sis, how's life treatin' ya?" he asked.

"Oh… It is acceptable. You?" she asked.

Zidane faked a grin. "I'm great! Never better."

The trio entered Mikoto's hut and sat around a table. Mikoto poured three glasses of some sort of fruit juice and sat down.

"So when did you cut out that clearing?" Zidane asked, sipping what tasted suspiciously like Lindblum rummapple juice.

"About a month ago," Mikoto said. "The mages did the work – they just cast fire spells and then put it out with water."

Zidane nodded and stared out the window at the gray, rainy sky. He wasn't used to seeing rain fall on the Outer Continent. "So…have any of the genomes…made progress?"

Vivi nodded, but Mikoto shook her head. "I think they have!" Vivi said. "They understand a lot of gestures and sayings! And they're starting to feel things too!"

Mikoto shrugged. "That's one thing, I suppose. But they're very vacant. Maybe they can feel feelings and taste tastes, but they're a long way from having a soul."

Zidane nodded. "We can hope, though. Maybe some day."

"I don't believe they will. After all, we were created with souls. They were meant to accept souls when the absorption was complete. I do not think they will ever get any," Mikoto said, staring at the table.

Zidane simply stared into his glass of what he now was certain was rummapple juice.

"Well maybe a soul is like something that comes to you after a while…y'know, like a song or a poem, or a beautiful painting," Zidane said at last, smiling at his sister.

Mikoto shrugged. "I don't get what you mean exactly."

Zidane grinned. "Sis, you still have a long way to go."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mikoto asked, a little ticked.

Zidane sighed. She still didn't understand a lot. But he cared for her so much. It was funny – when he was growing up, the last thing on his mind were siblings, but now that he had one, he felt like he had a different purpose…well, not different so much as expanded.

"Oh, calm down. You're cute when you're mad, though."

Mikoto growled. "I wonder if all brothers are strange."

Zidane simply smiled and took another swig of his juice.

After a few hours of visiting, as the sky darkened, Zidane decided he would have to go. As he made towards Mikoto's door, she followed. "I'll see you off."

As they walked out towards the clearing in the light rain, Mikoto suddenly spoke, catching Zidane off guard. "Don't lie to me, Zidane."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" he asked, glancing down to his right at her.

"You lied when you said that you were never better."

"Oh…," Zidane sighed, burying his hands in his cloak's pockets. "Well…I've been really…torn up about being the king lately. I can't take it! I don't get to do anything! I've got all of these responsibilities! I miss adventuring, and seeing the world…mostly I just miss my old troupe."

"I see. Well I don't know what to tell you to do. I suppose you had better not worry about us, to start with. We are fine here, so… yeah, don't worry."

Zidane stopped and turned to face his sister. She looked oddly specter-like in the cloud-covered moonlight. "Are you? Are you really?"

She replied with a yes, but her eyes said no. She had more soul than Zidane realized.

"If you ever need help…just get me. You've got friends on the Mist Continent."

Mikoto smiled her vacant smile. "Okay. But don't worry about us much. The mages take care of everything… Vivi's got his family…the genomes never get in trouble…"

They continued walking to the edge of the town in silence. Zidane stopped at the clearing and turned towards Mikoto.

"Well…Take care, little sis," he said, hugging her close. She returned the hug, which made him smile.

As he let her go and turned towards the Red Rose, she spoke. "Take care…big brother."

Zidane smiled a little wider.

* * *

As Zidane sat on his bed in his cabinet of the Red Rose, his mind wandered about the world. First he was in the Black Mage Village, imagining his sister's disdain at the vacancy of all of her brethren. He had the strangest feeling that she was crying this very moment; sometimes he felt what (he was almost certain) she was feeling at that very moment.

Then he drifted off across the sea to Alexandria Castle, where his sweet Garnet would be lying in bed, probably awake, awaiting his return. He knew that she knew what he felt about being king – she just never mentioned it. Maybe she felt sad about it, but he wasn't sure. He figured that it was more likely that she simply thought it would pass with time.

With that thought, his mind immediately turned to Baku and the rest of Tantalus, sitting (once more, he was almost certain) on the Prima Vista II, docked out over the Alexandria waterfall, talking (again, he almost knew) about him. He didn't quite understand how he knew all of this, and again, he wasn't sure that he did know, but it felt like some reality, some slim, undying truth. Maybe some of the powers that Garland had imbued in him were coming to life?

That made him think of Kuja, who, even though long dead, he still thought of often. The brother he had never known, who, despite having attempted on numerous occasions to annihilate him, his friends, and the world, he had still tried to save from the bowels of the Iifa Tree. He had honestly made a change at the end, but Zidane thought that he was probably better off dead. Even if he had honestly repented at the end, which Zidane believed he had, society would never forgive him. He would be branded for life.

Now Zidane found a new worry rising in the back of his mind, which he had thought of before, but never consciously: what if he became what Kuja had been? I he was truly discovering hidden powers sealed within him at birth, could he become twisted and corrupted? The rational side of his mind screamed "No! I would never become a bloodthirsty, greedy killer! I would never lust for power! I would never…wear a man-thong!" Meanwhile, the imaginative side of his mind, while agreeing with that last bit about the man-thong, came up with an image of a dark Zidane standing above a burning city, while Garnet cried on her knees beside him. And what scared him was that, with his position of power, that may not have been a pure fantasy.

Finally, overcome with emotion, he slammed his fist into the wall, before collapsing on his back. His mind cleared. "No. That's not me. I know it."

And yet, the little voice in the back of his mind cooed "Are you sure?"


	3. Escape

**Chapter 3**

Sleep. Zidane finally caught some that night, but it was plagued with visions of destruction and horror caused by his hand. Villages burning, people running in terror, Alexandrian knights chasing them down and running them through.

First came the sight of Treno burning, like some dark fireplace, the great round circle of the former city holding in the destruction. Nobles ran for their lives to the waterfront, attempting in vain to escape the destruction. The slums lit up like suns, burning quickly and then curdling back on themselves like paper.

Atop Doctor Tot's tower stood Zidane, cloaked in white, hands held to the sky, head back. He laughed sadistically, and then…an eye appeared in the sky – a great red eye. With a flash, Treno was gone.

Lindblum was next. The dark Zidane stood over Regent Cid, who was on the ground, a dagger gently pressed against his neck. In the background, Lindblum crumbled like a tower of pebbles. Airships exploded…the smell of burning flesh lingered sickeningly sweet in his nose, and then…Flash! The red eye ended it.

Then, a site far worse – Garnet, down on her hands and knees, shedding tears of pure remorse. Dark Zidane stood behind her, grinning, as below him, Alexandria burned. His airship hovered gently over the flames, as if caught in the warm updrafts. Garnet stared into his eyes with a look of anguish spread across her face. As the dark Zidane went to strike, reality returned in a flash, and he bolted upright in bed, panting.

Sweat streaked down his face and back. He felt exhausted, like he had just run a marathon, despite having been asleep since late last night when he returned from the Outer Continent.

Zidane glanced to his left at the sleeping form of Garnet.

"It was…just a dream. Just a horrible dream…"

She stirred. "What's…what's wrong, Zidane?"

He sighed a long, drawn-out sigh. "Nothing. Just a bad dream."

"Well go back to sleep…" Garnet muttered, and was immediately asleep.

Zidane would have gladly, as he was completely exhausted, but he knew he would not be able to fall asleep again that morning. Besides, glancing out the window, he saw the very top of the sun rising above the eastern mountains.

Grudgingly, he hopped out of bed and pulled on some clothes. He trudged towards the doors and gently opened and closed them.

The hallway was empty, as he felt it should be in the morning. Zidane slowly made his way to the balcony at the end of the hall and sat down in a chair overlooking the lake.

"I've got to get away from here. I know it's just a dream, but I don't even want that possibility to exist…"

In the distance, Zidane could spy the Prima Vista II bobbing up and down very gently in the airship docks on the far side of the lake – Alexandria had expanded to make room for the airships now that the Mist was gone and they couldn't float without their engines being on.

That was possibly the worst part of the Mist being gone – ships relied entirely on their engines to stay aloft. When the Mist had been around, ships could float atop it and simply use the engines for propulsion, although they still had to fly above the Mist level sometimes, in which case the engine did it all.

When the first Prima Vista had been shot down by Queen Brahne, it had leveled out on the Mist before plummeting down to the Evil Forest. Under normal circumstances, it would have kept on floating without power, but the hull damage was enough that it could not stay aloft, much like an ocean-going vessel filling with water.

So now that the Mist was gone and steam engines dominated, the people of the Mist Continent had to come up with inventive ways of docking. Obviously Lindblum had always been set – it was so high above the Mist that ships could never float on it and be anywhere near the castle city. Cid had engineered immense scaffolding inside of a massive tower to hold the ships in place when they docked – massive rails carried them out when they took off, as well.

As for Alexandria, the answer had been simple – with a great lake in the middle of the city, one must merely touch their ship down in the water and pilot it towards the docks that had been built on the east side. In fact, nearly every airship built before the steam engine was buoyant, and there wasn't a single ship built since that wasn't.

Treno had done much the same for its docks. The City of Nobles was filled with water and lakes.

Burmecia had more of a challenge. There were few lakes in the area, and the mountains flanking the city were generally too steep to build anything, such as scaffolding, on. Cid decided that part of the money that Lindblum was donating to Burmecia would go into an ambitious project to divert the Daines River and flood a low-lying depression in the Daines-Horse Basin near the city. It could be used as a port.

Of course, ships with balloons could dock anywhere, so long as there remained helium in the blimp. But for ships without balloons, such as the Prima Vista, or pretty much any steam ship, an alternative was needed.

As Zidane turned these matters over in his head marveling at the progression of technology in such a short time, he was unaware that Steiner had marched up behind him and was staring out over the city.

"Beautiful morning, isn't it, sire?" he asked. Zidane leapt up.

"Woah there, Rusty…just about scared me to death!" he replied. "It is gorgeous though, isn't it?"

Steiner nodded. "Anyway, I was asked by your comrades to let you know that they depart later this morning."

"Comra- Tantalus?!? Oh great! I forgot all about that! Thanks for the heads-up, Rusty!" Zidane exclaimed, dashing past the knight and down the hallway.

As he grabbed his pair of Orichalcons, the Ogre, and his cloak, he suddenly had the urge to ask Baku to take him with them. For a moment it all made perfect sense – just a vacation, y'know? He'd come back…after a couple of months. Yeah!

And then reality sank in and he remembered that he was the ruler of a kingdom and that he couldn't just take vacations.

But what if it wasn't a vacation? What if it was a permanent leave of absence? Then he would be completely justified in his actions, right? But he couldn't just leave Garnet. He still loved her. But! What if Tantalus was to "kidnap" him? Yes, that might work nicely.

"Oh wait," he suddenly stated, standing in the middle of the foyer. "I used to be one of them. Nobody'd buy that in a million years."

The more he thought about it, the more he remembered his terrifying dreams he had been having lately. His longing for the past. He was scared to death that he really was changing, and that he might just cause trouble for everyone in the world.

"That's it, then," he said. "I'll do it. I'll go with Tantalus. They can just tell everyone that they had no idea I was going to run away. They thought I was going to go to Lindblum anyway. Yeah! They can tell everyone that I just hung around there for a few days and then took the first freighter out of there to…the Forgotten Continent. Yeah! But I'll actually be a member of Tantalus once more! Foolproof."

He was already at the lakeside, stepping onto the boat. Somehow, he just knew that he had to do this. 'I can't cause any trouble,' he thought. 'I won't be responsible for the deaths of thousands.'

The skiff docked at the airship port on the east side of the lake and Zidane hopped off. Baku was right there, arguing with the port master.

"No, no, NO! I'm not payin' no bloody 10000 gil because YOU suddenly decided that large ships dockin' cost a higher rate! Not gonna stand for it!" Baku shouted, prodding the port master in the chest with a fat finger.

"I didn't just decide this, it's been that way for a year now! We were just unaware of the size of your ship before you showed up! So pay up!"

"Money troubles?" asked Zidane, arms crossed.

Baku lit up. "Zidane! Tell this suit here that I had no idea that large ships cost extra!"

"With all due respect, your highness, this man owes me 10000 gil!" the port master spat, extending a shaking finger in the direction of Baku's girth.

"Look, I'm sure it was an honest mistake," Zidane replied, shrugging. "Can't you let it go, just this once?"

"No! Who's going to pay for the extra space that his obese theater ship took up? Somebody has to!"

Zidane growled. "Fine, here. I'll pay."

"Uh, Zidane, you don' have to. Honestly, I'll pay 'im."

Zidane shook his head. "Consider it my initiation fee."

Baku looked at Zidane quizzically as the king extended a gloved hand and deposited 10000 gil into the palm of the port master.

"Thank you, your majesty," breathed the port master, glaring at Baku. "Have a nice flight!"

Baku grabbed his hand and roughly shook. "Will do! Gwahahahahaha!"

He threw his arm around Zidane and pulled him towards the Prima Vista II. "So! What did you mean by 'initiation fee'?"

Zidane grinned. "Let's get on board. I'd rather tell everyone."

Baku called Blank, Marcus, and Cinna to the meeting room as soon as they got on board. Zidane navigated the ship by memory – it had only been altered very slightly from the original design of the Prima Vista.

As the five took their seats, the other three greeted Zidane warmly.

"Okay, I'm just gonna say it. I'm rejoining Tantalus."

Everyone looked shock, much to Zidane's surprise. Cinna lowered his mug of beer with a slackened jaw.

"What?" Baku asked.

"I'm coming with you guys and joining Tantalus!" Zidane said. "I've already made up my mind, so don't try to change it."

"But you can't just…" Baku began.

"Hey, I just said not to try to change my mind! Now listen! You guys can just tell everyone that I told you that I was going to leave for Lindblum today ANYWAY and that we all thought it would be nice to travel together, but then when we got there, I took the first freighter out to the Forgotten Continent and you had no idea until a week from now or something! You guys get off without any trouble, and we can go on adventures again!"

"Hey man, what about Garnet?" Blank asked.

Zidane sighed. "It won't be forever. Just half a year or so. Just until I know what I need to know."

"Why couldn't you just tell her? I bet she'd understand," Marcus said, belching.

"No, she wouldn't. I think she would if it were something more heroic, but I'm just eloping with a band of thieves. I think she wouldn't understand at all!"

"Well, if it's only for six months'r so… sure, why not? For old times' sake, eh? Gwahaha!" Baku replied. "What do you guys say?"

"You sure about this?" Marcus asked. Zidane nodded. "Alright then. Sounds good to me!"

Blank nodded, slamming down his mug. "Me too!"

Cinna gulped down the rest of his beer. "Once Tantalus, always Tantalus!"

Zidane grinned. He honestly didn't feel bad about this. After all, it would only be a couple of months. Six or seven max. And when he came back, he hoped Garnet would understand. He would even try to visit every month, if only for a few minutes. It was genius.

He had to find out whether he was discovering latent powers or not, and he figured, it would be best for him to be where he couldn't destroy nations if it turned out that he actually was.

As he made his way to the crew room that night, full with beer and spirit, he felt more comfortable than he had for months, and he was certain that if he just got some more time to see the world, he would be happy as a clam to go home in six months and never do this ever again.

'Yup,' he thought, as his eyelids drooped, sleep overtaking him, 'it'll be great.'


	4. A Better Offer

**Chapter 4**

"Where is the king?!?" Steiner boomed, scrambling around the castle. "Have you seen him?!? You?!? ANYONE?!?"

He dashed down the main hallway, red-faced and breathless. Beatrix suddenly came out of a door, extended a hand in the universal "Stop" command, and Steiner skidded to a halt before her.

"Woah there, cowboy, where's the fire?" she asked, smiling.

"The king… is amiss! I haven't… seen him since… this morning! I am… beginning… to fear that he… left with those… Tantalus criminals… when he left… this morning!" Steiner replied, panting heavily.

Beatrix chuckled. "Wouldn't surprise me. He's been under a lot of stress lately. Honestly, if he did, I can't blame him. But we still have to find him."

Beatrix's understanding nature and calm tone almost overwhelmed Steiner, who was ready to call out the navy. But he knew that his wife could handle it better than he – after four years, he had come to the somewhat upsetting understanding that she was much more level-headed than he.

And yet, he was very angry. This was exactly the sort of immature, bull-headed thing that Zidane would do. How dare he just up and leave?

As Steiner pondered over these thoughts, his face contorted with anger and Beatrix pictured steam shooting out of his ears.

"Why that no-good monkey! Leaving the queen just like that! Why, the nerve of that boy! And to think that he is the king!"

As the word 'king' left his lips, he immediately changed tune. "I…forgive me, I spoke out of turn… he is the king, and I…I…I…"

"Hey hon, don't let the queen know, okay?" Beatrix began, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I-I-I-I don't know if that's such…"

Beatrix planted a kiss on his lips. "Come on, Lovey-Bear. You just let me handle it, okay?"

"O-O-Okay."

"Good. Now go to bed. You look exhausted," Beatrix ordered, opening the door she had just come out of and forcing Steiner through with a gentle but firm touch. "He can get so worked up over things," she said, grinning. "I love him for it, though."

Beatrix started walking down the hall towards the dining hall where dinner awaited. She already knew what she would tell Garnet.

As she entered the dining hall, she immediately spied Garnet at the end of the table, being served by several chefs, Quina included.

"Delicious food, tonight! Special recipe!" s/he said, presenting the queen with a roast duck. Beatrix tentatively approached, but regained her resolve.

"Beatrix," Garnet began, catching the general off-guard.

"Um…yes, your majesty?"

"Where's Zidane?"

Beatrix gulped, and then outwardly laughed. She was scared of lying to Garnet. She really was dutiful.

"What's so funny?" Garnet asked, smiling.

"Oh," she began, "nothing. Anyway, that's what I wanted to tell you. You see, Zidane had to go on an emergency trip to Lindblum. The lift down to the harbor is malfunctioning, and someone needed to go request service from Lindblum, since they did, after all, design the lift. We are also going to proposition Cid for a new flagship to replace the aging Red Rose. Zidane simply insisted that he go in my place, but asked that I bring the Red Rose after him tomorrow. He left with Tantalus, for old times' sake, I suppose. To be honest, your majesty, I think he was getting stir-crazy."

It wasn't actually that big of a lie. The lift was malfunctioning, and Beatrix was going to go to Lindblum with the Red Rose both to get a technician to fix it and to ask Cid to start a new airship tomorrow. Adding Zidane to the equation just protected him from punishment for a crime that Beatrix, honestly, completely understood.

"Huh. Because I heard Steiner running through the castle yelling about how Zidane ran off with that "pack of roughians!"" Garnet replied. Beatrix's stomach sank just a little, but she quickly regained her composure.

"Oh, don't listen to him, your majesty. We neglected to inform him, and he jumped to conclusions when Zidane left for the Prima Vista this morning," Beatrix said, metaphorically patting herself on the back. She never knew how treacherous she could be.

"Really?" Garnet asked, a piece of duck lingering succulently on the fork just inches from her mouth.

"Indeed."

"Really really?" Garnet asked.

"You have my word, your majesty," Beatrix said, bowing.

"Okay," Garnet replied, popping the piece of duck into her mouth. "I've seen how he's been lately…maybe this trip will get it out of his system. When you go tomorrow, just make sure you get him to come home soon, okay?"

'Wow,' thought Beatrix, 'she's just making this easier for me.' She saluted. "Of course, your majesty! I think this will be good for him."

With that, she took her place at the table next to the queen and their conversation got much easier. The duck was delicious too. Quina was improving as a chef every day.

* * *

The steady gaze of Amarant Coral could unnerve anyone foolish enough to look at him funny, and today was no different. The big red-headed man gazed plainly down at the scumbag on the sand beneath him, a big revolver pointed at his head. Amarant's left arm hung limp beside him; this dirtbag had hit a cluster of nerves with the butt of his lance. 

Amarant looked up at the sky for a moment – pure blue, like some endless ocean. Cloudless, and yet, somewhat hazy, like the heat rippling off of pavement on a hot day. Today certainly was a hot day.

"…You hot?" he asked at last. The cowering man, who had kept his eyes closed in fear this entire time, now opened them.

"W…w-what?"

Amarant let the hammer of his gun off and spun it around, holstering it swiftly. His left arm was beginning to regain feeling, but not enough, so the big blue man lifted the seedy bastard off of the sand with his now-free right arm.

When the dirty Burmecian came to eye-level with Amarant, who was a good two feet taller, he gulped. His feet dangled limply beneath him.

"I said…are you hot?" Amarant asked again, grinning calmly.

The Burmecian gulped again. "I…uh…yeah?"

Amarant reached down with his left arm, which had enough feeling to grab a lance, and lifted the Burmecian's weapon up. He slid it through his belt and started walking, still carrying the rat with one gloved fist.

"It's a hot day. Not surprising," Amarant said, plodding along through the desert sands at a leisurely pace. He felt tranquilly calm; the Burmecian, on the contrary, had a pulse that was off the charts.

In the distance, the new town of Luxor sat, rippling behind a veil of heat. Tall palm trees hung low like some withered blade of grass. Just another scorching summer day on the Outer Continent.

Way off across the desert, Amarant spied the mountains that concealed the now-empty palace that Kuja had once occupied. He thought of the cylindrical cell that he had been thrown into and grinned – that pansy never had the guts to actually kill them. Any good villain would have just offed all of Zidane's comrades then and there. Hell, he would have.

Over the last four years, Amarant had started up bounty hunting again. It started out small, operating out of Treno, but soon, he moved out here to the Outer Continent. Luxor was barely three years old and already it was a hive of scum and villainy.

"Y'know…," Amarant began, eyeing the Burmecian hanging limply from his collar – Amarant's arm wasn't even tired yet. "…I knew a guy like you once. He was a loser. Always goin' 'round pickin' fights with everyone he could find…just to prove that he was tough. But really, he was just a loser. Is that what you want to be?"

The Burmecian, though terrified, managed to sass him a little. "Is that the speech…that you give to all of your marks? Just your pathetic inspirational speech before you lock me away?"

Amarant grinned. "Oh, I dunno. It's kind of like my motto. Not my slogan, though. Slogans need to be catchy. That sure isn't catchy."

"Got that right," the Burmecian spat, regaining a little of his former guff.

"So what did you do to piss off Calister that bad?" Amarant asked, still meandering along, slapping his left hand gently against his left, trying to get some more feeling into it.

"I…eheh…slept with his wife."

Amarant laughed. "Oh, that's all, eh? Sounds like she's just as much at fault as you."

"Exactly! But no, that pompous asshat has to get all…offended. No, his wife could never do anything wrong, I must've put her up to it! The rich abuse their power!"

"…You didn't put her up to it, right?"

"Course not! She was just drunk at the pub, n' one thing lead to another, and…"

Amarant stopped and set the Burmecian down. "Tell you what. I don't really want to turn you in. But I've got a job to do. N' you see, you're really just an unfortunate bystander in a deal between me and Calister. So you pay me, say…five-hundred gil…and I'll just tell Calister that you got away. That's half of what he offered me, y'know."

The Burmecian grinned. "Really? You got it! Anything to avoid jail! Here, man! Keep the change! I'm getting out of here on the first airship I can find."

Amarant pulled the lance out from his belt and presented it to the Burmecian. "Good luck, Tirkto. Only the best awaits."

As the rat, Tirkto, made his way off towards the airport, he waved back. "Thanks, man! Saved my skin!"

"Just lookin' out for those in need," Amarant replied, continuing his leisurely stroll into town.

He glanced back to make sure that Tirkto was out of range before laughing. "Sucker. Calister only offered me two-fifty."

He twirled the fat sack of gil around on its string and dumped it gracefully into a pocket on his brown leather jacket.

As he passed the entryway into the dusty little town some fifteen minutes later, he grinned. "Nothing quite like the feel of hard-earned cash in your pocket."

"Amaraaaaaant!!!" came the booming, throaty croak of Calister, a fat little man from Treno. He had came out to the Outer Continent to pursue his fortune, as if he weren't already set for life. His big, gray curly mustache always twitched when he was angry, which was very often.

Amarant turned to face the little man, who always wore a fine black suit that was always caked with dust by the end of the day. Judging by how it looked currently, Amarant figured that he was about halfway to the day's quota.

"How's it going, Mr. Calister?" Amarant began, staring down at the orb-shaped man.

"Don't "How's it going, Mr. Calister?" me sun! I just saw you let that damn rat go!"

Amarant stared out towards the desert and the airport, where he could see an airship just taking off. "Oh right…well, I'd say if you sprout wings right now, you've got a good chance of catching him."

Calister blinked a few times, not catching Amarant's full meaning. Then he stared up as the shadow of the ship passed overhead.

"Why would you let him go?!?"

"He gave me a better offer, whether he knew it or not," Amarant replied. "Look, sorry about that and all, but I've got to get back to the office, so…have a nice afternoon."

With that, he turned and continued walking.

Calister stuttered listlessly for a moment, fuming. Then, he exploded. "Now you hear ME, Amarant Coral, I OWN this continent! I'll have you boycotted from here to oblivion, you hear me?!? You'll never work on this planet AGAIN!"

Amarant simply responded by raising a rather rude hand gesture skyward.

He knew that nothing Calister said to anybody would affect his workflow. Law enforcement was virtually nonexistent out here, and aside from Lani, who now operated out of Conde Petie, he was the only thing even remotely close to the police. Calister didn't really own that much, either. He had a mining operation in the mountains nearby, but other than that, he was a mere spec of dirt on the carpet that was Gaia.

Luxor was a roughly circular town, centered around an oasis. The east side was bordered by a sheer cliff-face, under which Amarant had set up shop. This was known as the bad side of town, but given the size of the town, the whole place was the 'bad side of town'. The oasis at the center was actually quite large, meaning that the circumference of the town was quite large, tricking one into thinking that the town was also quite large.

As Amarant passed through the oasis, he picked up a stone and sent it skipping across the tranquil surface of the pond. The ripples made him think about the ups and downs in life – funny, he usually wasn't very poetic.

Amarant consciously felt the burning sensation of gil needing to be spent in his coat pocket, and figured he'd drop in at the weapons shop – he needed more ammo for his revolver, and Tirkto had inadvertently busted one of the blades on his left-hand claws. Speaking of which, he could now fully move his arm. If the stupid rat was easy to fool, he was still good at hitting nerves.

Amarant stepped down onto the dusty street in the 'bad side of town' as a carriage trundled by, laden with supplies. Across the street sat the 3's & 6's, a dingy pub and whorehouse where, he assumed, Tirkto had got lucky with Calister's hot wife. She must have been pretty wasted to want to get with a Burmecian. Ah well…

Right next door sat Dirty Larry's Fine Imported Weapons, which, had there been such a thing as a 'truth in advertising' law out here, would be called Filthy Larry's Crappy Handmade Toys. But at least he imported bullets, and that was all that Amarant really needed – he'd get a blacksmith to repair his claws.

As he crossed the street to enter the shop, a silver-haired figure stepped out of the dark alley next to the building, turned, and entered the shop. He was cloaked in brown robes, but Amarant could spy the tip of a silver tail poking out from the bottom of his cloak.

"What's a Genome doing out here?" he asked nobody in particular. "I've never seen silver-haired ones…accept for Kuja."

He slowly snuck across and placed his ear against the door, lest he enter and their conversation end.

"A whole lot," said the Genome. It certainly wasn't Larry who said it, anyway. Also, since when did Genomes speak colloquially?

Cough! Hack! "That'll cost ye. We dinnae git much in last tyme we gots a shipmen'." Oh yeah, that was Larry. The dwarf had a chronic case of lung congestion.

"Money's no object, my friend…" came the reply.

Hack! Wheeze! "Yae, I see. So, when kin I 'spect ye'll be by teh pick 'em oop?"

"In a few days. I'll keep you posted."

Cough! Spatter! "Aelright. I'll see ye then, eh? Say, jist a queshchun… Are ye one o' them critters livin' wit de Pyntie Hets?"

"No. What do you mean?"

"Ah…nothin', I guess. Anywae…I'll see ye later, eh?"

Amarant quickly moved away from the door and leaned against the 3's & 6's side. Larry's door opened and the silver-haired Genome strolled out. This time, Amarant got a better look at his tail. Definitely a Genome.

As the mystery man vanished into the oasis, Amarant turned over what he had heard in his head. This Genome needed a "whole lot" of something. He shall pick it up in a few days. He's, supposedly, not from the Black Mage Village.

Amarant unfolded his arms from his chest and marched down the boardwalk to the airport. "This merits visiting with Emotion Girl and Magic Lad…" he muttered, thinking of Mikoto and Vivi. "See if they know anything about this. Besides," he muttered, glancing up at the sun, which had just reached its zenith. "I have all day."


	5. A Dirty Proposition

**Chapter 5**

South Gate was a marvel of Lindblum engineering prowess. Carved out of the thick Aerbs Mountains, Lindblum engineers had worked for twenty years to build a giant stone structure large enough to let thirty airships side by side through at a time, not to mention allow them to dock within and get a break from flying.

It had taken a lot of time for the gate to be repaired following the third Black Waltz's destructive run aboard his small airship. Such a little airship wouldn't usually cause much damage, except that in this situation, he had crashed right into a vital gear that helped open and close the Lindblum-side gate. When this gear collapsed, all of the other gears on the left side of that gate collapsed, leaving one entire half of the gate not only inoperable but also lopsided.

After around six months of intensive repair, the gate was declared to be finished. Traffic had been allowed through the operable side of the gate since about four months after the accident, though.

It wasn't quite over. The gear that had replaced the warped one that the Black Waltz had crashed into was itself faulty. It soon cracked under pressure, but held. The left side of the gate was once more inoperable, but not lopsided. The gear was replaced yet again, and, thus far, all was well.

So as Zidane, aboard the Prima Vista II, itself a marvel of Lindblum engineering, entered the massive gate building, he couldn't help but feel partially responsible for the original destruction. He knew full well that the ends had justified the means, but he still felt a little guilty.

"We'll be dockin' here for around an hour," came Cinna's voice over the intercom. "Feel free to go into the gate, but be back in an hour."

The heavy footfalls of Baku's boots hitting wood reached Zidane's ears and he turned to see the boss stomping down the stairs onto the deck. "Gwahahaha! Cinna sure loves to pretend he's importan', eh?"

Zidane grinned. "What are we stopping for, boss?"

"Absolutely none of yer business, your royal majesty, lest ye be caught up in a tale of villainy and debauchery."

"Oh, just tell me. If you're gonna steal something, I'll just find out about it anyway."

As the Prima Vista gently bumped against the scaffolding that was the dock, Baku prepared to disembark. "Alright. I guess you wouldn't be here if you weren't prepared to steal somethin', eh?"

"Sure," Zidane replied, following his Boss to the edge of the deck.

Baku cleared his throat and stepped down onto the concrete walkway that extended out to the ship. "I'm meetin' an old associate of mine here. He just flew in from the Outer Continent yesterday and told me to meet him at South Gate… He's got a potentially lucrative proposition for me, or so he said. He likes to sound smart, but he's actually dumber than a stone."

Zidane followed him off of the ship, with both hands behind his head, stretching. "Might this associate be a dirty little Burmecian rat by the name of…um…Tirkto?"

Baku laughed. "I s'pose he might be the one, yeah."

"Boss…he stabbed you with his lance and then ran off into the forest. Remember? The Popos Heights heist six years ago?"

Baku waved his arm back at Zidane, as if waving away the rebuttal. "Water under the bridge. 'Sides…if he tries somethin' funny…we c'n just kill 'im."

Zidane grinned a little as he and Baku passed under the overhead lights of South Gate. They were lit by electricity, which was something relatively new to the world. It had been used for a while now, but it was just spreading past the walls of the city of Lindblum. This particular building had all of its electricity generated by several massive steam engines at the bottom of the trench behind him. He had seen them as the ship passed overhead.

Baku turned a corner into a dark little room to the right. Zidane followed cautiously.

"Ah, so Baku's here, eh?" came a seedy little voice that one might associate with sleaze and the depths of things that sleaze brought.

"Gwahaha! Tell me, Tirkto…Why should I even bother to stop by here after you stabbed me?"

Zidane's eyes slowly adjusted to the light and he could see Tirkto leaning against the wall. He looked a little roughed up – a fresh cut was just healing on the left side of his face.

"Hey, there…That's all behind us! That time, we were enemies. This time…we're partners."

Baku simply hollered out one of his trademark laughs in response. Zidane moved a little farther into the room, trying to allow as much light in as was possible.

"Say Tirkto…you look a little roughed up. What happened with, uh…," he said, running his finger along where the slash would be located, were it on his face.

"Huh? Oh…" the rat replied, gingerly touching the cut. "Had a run-in with a bounty hunter on the Outer Continent."

Zidane grinned. "Big guy? Red hair? Kinda odd?"

"Yeah, that's the one! He saved my ass! Let me go for half of what the client offered him!" responded Tirkto.

Zidane laughed out loud. "Trust me, Amarant would never save anyone's ass for half of what the client offered him. Sounds to me like you got tricked!"

The Burmecian turned a little pale, and then shook his head. "No matter. I got away from jail, and that's all that matters. 'Sides, I gave that brute a good fight…"

Somehow, Zidane doubted this. He merely nodded and allowed Tirkto to continue.

"Anyway, here's the deal. There's a shipment of gil bein' sent from Lindblum to Burmecia. They're shipping it on a large ship owned by the Lindblum Commerce Guild. There'll be an escort ship. So, you guys do whatever it takes to get the cash, however you wanna do it. Then, you cut me in on, say, ten percent. Deal?"

Shipment of gil? Why did that sound so familiar? No matter. It was probably just going to line some rich old bastard's pockets. Zidane glanced at Baku and winked.

The big guy nodded. "Sure! Ten percent. Sounds fair. Arright, catch you on the flip side, Tirkto, when we're both a lot richer."

The two shook on it, and then, Baku turned to exit. Zidane grinned one last time at Tirkto, and then followed Baku out.

When they reached the ship, Zidane spoke. "So…can we really trust him? Are you sure he's not just setting us up to get busted?"

Baku laughed. "Kid, a rat like him would never set us up. 'Sides…you saw his eyes, right? They only twinkle like that when he's thinking about potential cash. It's the real deal. And I had heard tell of it anyway."

Zidane shrugged. "No matter, cuz we're not cuttin' him in on any of it anyway, are we?"

"Gwahahahahaha! Kid, after stabbing me, any thought he had of getting any of my hard earned treasure was simply stupidity."

* * *

Beatrix arrived in Lindblum in the afternoon on an unseasonably cool day. The Red Rose had sputtered a few times on the journey; a new flagship was definitely in order.

Passing the docks in the theater district, she spied the Prima Vista. Tantalus was definitely home. She could even see their hideout, which, given its location, wasn't much of a hideout. In the evening sun it looked rather pretty, like an old-world townhouse. In the middle of the day, though, it had always struck her as rather ugly.

The Red Rose sputtered one last time just before docking inside Lindblum Grand Castle. It dropped about six feet, and, had it been just a few feet lower when the sputter happened, it would have smacked into the scaffolding and probably done itself in.

Beatrix, after easing herself down from that rather large scare, stepped calmly off of the ship and onto the concrete walkway that lead to the castle. She brushed her air from her face and checked to ensure that her sword was positioned nicely – despite knowing Cid quite well, she always felt that she must make a good impression.

Minister Artania greeted her at the end of the walkway. "Ah, Lady Beatrix! We've been expecting you. I hope your journey was agreeable?"

Beatrix smiled, shaking Artania's hand warmly. "Less than I would have liked, but we made it here in one piece."

"Yes, I heard that's what you are here for. Well, anyway, follow me. We'll see the Regent immediately."

Beatrix stopped. "Uh…oh…n-no, don't trouble yourself, Artania. We're going to head into town and rest after that rough voyage…" She said we, as if the king had accompanied her. "In the morning, perhaps?"

"Oh…," Artania replied. "Well certainly, Lady Beatrix. You know, you could always take the guest room."

Beatrix shook her head. "No no, it's quite alright. The king wishes to visit his old friends in the theater district anyway. We'll be fine at an inn."

Artania smiled and nodded. "Very well. We'll see you in the morning…around ten, say?"

"Certainly," Beatrix replied, taking Artania's hand. "'Til then." She released it and watched him go; when he was completely out of sight, she turned and headed down to the air cab station.

* * *

Zidane lounged in a hammock hanging from the rafters in the Tantalus hideout. Everything was as he remembered it, and it felt great to be back.

Benero, Zenero, and Genero had been more than shocked to see him. In their habit of often saying something to compliment what the other said, they had greeted him:

"Hey, it's Zidane!" "Yeah, Zidane's here!" "Why are you here, Zidane?" "Did you miss us?" "I know he doesn't miss you!" "He misses me, not you two!" "You know that half of the time he can't tell us apart!" "You can't tell me and Zenero apart half of the time!" "Nobody can tell Benero and me apart half of the time!"

They had continued on like this for some time while Zidane made himself comfortable. Baku vanished into his room and hadn't been seen since. Blank and Marcus pulled up a chair at the table while Cinna poured mugs of beer.

The three at the table talked idly as Zidane began to doze off in the hammock, drunk with nothing but happiness. Just as he approached the line between wake and sleep, Cinna shouted: "Zidane! Hide!"

Deftly, he leapt up into the rafters and ran along one particular beam to a plank where he might watch without being seen.

Possibly the very person he didn't want to see any time soon marched right through the door.

Beatrix glanced around at Marcus, Cinna, and Blank, who were staring right at her slightly slackjawed.

"'samatter guys? You been stunned by a spell or are you just happy to see me?"

After a few moments of silence, Blank laughed an awkward laugh half-way between shock and terror. Marcus quickly smacked him in the chest.

"Okay…," Beatrix replied, stepping further into the hideout. "So…where's Zidane?"

Cinna gulped and Marcus slugged him in the chest.

"What's that? Zidane? He, uh…he ain't here," Marcus replied.

Beatrix sighed. "Really? That's too bad…he's gone missing and we're really worried. Garnet is distraught. Steiner wants to mobilize the troops – he swears that some terrorists kidnapped him. Did I mention that Garnet is distraught? She hasn't stopped crying for…well, since yesterday."

Zidane almost laughed. Beatrix was a pathetic liar.

"You haven't seen him around, have you?"

"Uh…not since yesterday morning at Alexandria port."

Beatrix sighed. "Oh well…I guess I'll just return home and try to console the distraught queen…sorry to bother y-okay Zidane come out from the rafters!"

Zidane was a little shocked. He had no idea how she knew. No use dragging it out any longer.

He stood up and marched out along the beam. Finally, he dropped off of the edge and let his tail grab the rafter. He lowered himself down onto the raised platform that housed Cinna's bunk. Then he leapt off.

Beatrix immediately laid into him. "Do you have any idea how immature and stupid it was to do something like this?!? Run off without telling anyone! You've got some nerve to just leave your wife behind like that! You sicken me! Completely sicken me!"

Zidane growled. "You just don't understand! I'm dangerous! I have the potential to hurt you, Steiner, Garnet…everyone! Entire cities!"

Beatrix immediately softened. She was going to drop the whole "Fooled you! I'm not mad!" thing on him, but this was new. "What…are you talking about?"

Zidane sighed and sat down at the table. He gestured for Beatrix to do the same. Cinna, Marcus, and Blank looked terrified at Beatrix's outburst.

Beatrix spoke first. "Let me just start by saying that I'm not mad…That was going to be a stupid joke…I'm sorry I started off that way…I didn't know you felt the way you do."

Zidane shrugged. "It's alright. I'm just glad you're not angry…Anyway…"

He took a swig of beer. "Lately I've been having these dreams…except they're not just dreams. I think they're visions. Kinda like…of the future, y'know? In them, I cause pain and suffering everywhere I go. Beatrix, I'm scared that I might turn into what Kuja turned into."

Beatrix placed a consoling hand on Zidane's shoulder. "You can't know that. I'm sure they're just dreams."

"But that's not it! I really have been having these weird feelings lately! Like I know what others are thinking about, even when I'm halfway around the world."

Beatrix laughed a little. "I'm sorry, but…you're a good person. You saved the damn world, Zidane! I know you'll never turn out like Kuja. Why you can't see that is beyond me."

"But what if I'm about to change? What if Kuja changed? He changed at the end! But maybe that was just like, changing back?" asked Zidane, shaking slightly.

"Listen. Kuja dumped you on this planet when he was twelve. He was always bad, Zidane. It's not where you were born, or why you were born. It's how you were raised. Baku raised you better than that. And come on. We both know that half of the reason you're hear is sitting right next to us," she said, gesturing to the three staring intently at her across the table.

"Well…yeah! I can't take it! Being at the castle! I love Garnet with all my heart, but I'm just not cut out to be a king, Beatrix!" Zidane replied.

Beatrix shrugged. "I think you'll make a fine king, Zidane. You're caring, understanding, and passionate. You know exactly what's right and what's wrong. So don't kid yourself. But…I know that this is all new to you. It's a bit stifling, isn't it? Being thrust into a position of power, where you must make all of the decisions? And I know that these guys are your family, so…stay here. For a while. I know the queen will understand. I don't know why you didn't see that."

As she finished, Baku came trundling out of his room, shaving cream covering his face, a razor in his right hand. "Oh! Hey, it's that lady knight! That kinda puts a monkey wrench right in your plans, eh Zidane? Gwahahaha! How are you, Beatrix?"

"I'm fine, Baku. Just setting our wayward royal highness here straight. You?" Beatrix replied, smiling.

The big guy grinned. "Life keeps on goin'. We're doin' pretty good, really. We've been busy with performances, eh boys?"

Blank nodded. "Sure. I like making an honest living. Almost as sweet as making a dishonest one."

Beatrix laughed, and Zidane laughed as well. Beatrix sure had a way of setting him straight.

"Okay," he said at last. "I hadn't planned on staying away long anyway. I just need to do some serious soul-searching…and some serious catching-up with these idiots."

"Alright. Stay as long as you want. I know the queen will be fine. I can see that this is important to you. Say, I'm not just here for you, by the way. I brought the Red Rose in for a few repairs, and I'm going to proposition Cid for a new flagship. I'd be glad if you'd join me tomorrow at ten at the castle – he might be more inclined to say yes right away if you're there. What do you say?" Beatrix said, standing up.

"Sure. Love too. 'Bout time we got a new ship, huh?" Zidane replied, yawning.

"Okay. See you tomorrow morning then…And don't go stealing anything big on this little vacation, okay? You are a king now. I'd hate to have to behead you."

With that, she walked right out of the door.

Baku glanced at Zidane, still holding the razor with his face covered in cream. "So…you still up for our little heist?"

Zidane laughed. "You goddamn better believe it."


	6. The Jet Engine! Among Other Things

**Chapter 6**

Amarant's airship touched down in the new grassy clearing beside the Black Mage Village with a little whoosh of air. It was small, but it was state-of-the-art. Cid had given it to him for free – it was a prototype of Cid's current line of airship, the Interceptors. As far as prototypes went, it was quite good. Amarant had found zero issues with it, and, best of all, it was small – barely larger than a rather small ocean-going vessel.

The propellers grumbled to a stop and Amarant leapt over board, which was only about four feet down. He landed on three points, one being his left hand. He glanced at it and remembered that he still had a broken claw.

He stood up slowly and marched towards the village, glancing around at all of the new developments. At least twenty new huts had been built on this side of town, as well as a large building in the center of the village which Amarant assumed was a sort of community center.

A pair of mages ran out to greet him. "Hello! You're…Amarant, right? One of Zidane's friends?"

Amarant nodded. "Yeah, that's me. You two know where Vivi and Wonder Girl might be?" The mages glanced at each other.

"Vivi might be with his family. If this "Wonder Girl" you speak of is Mikoto, I bet she's by the stream," said one.

Amarant nodded. He passed by, glancing at the new huts as he passed. Rather spiffy.

The stream that ran through the center of town was indeed where Mikoto was located, although it took Amarant a minute or two to search both ends. She was, of course, at the opposite end, leaning against a tree, tossing pebbles into the stream.

"Hey," Amarant said, simply.

Mikoto glanced up. "Oh, hey. What do you want?"

Amarant chuckled. "Still great with manners I see. I guess that's what your brother taught you, though."

Mikoto simply stared at him.

"…Never mind. Look, I'm here for a reason." Amarant said.

Mikoto tossed another pebble into the stream. "Of course you are. That's why I asked what you want. So, what do you want?"

"I don't really want anything…other than a few answers," replied Amarant, leaning against a tree and crossing his arms. "Sent any Genomes on missions lately?"

Mikoto smiled slightly. "Do you think that I am their leader? That they all answer to me?"

The big redhead shrugged. "I just figured that they probably did."

Mikoto's face changed to a rather angry gaze. "Well they don't. But my brother would probably instruct me to give you an adequate answer, so I shall."

"And do you do everything that Zidane tells you to do?" Amarant asked.

Mikoto's face softened a little and she stared right at Amarant. "No, I do not."

Amarant smiled. They were kind of similar. "So…gonna tell me what you know?"

The blond girl nodded. "My answer may not be satisfactory."

Amarant shrugged. "Hey, whatever you can tell me…"

"That's the problem, then. I don't have a satisfactory answer to give. I don't keep track of where the Genomes go or what they do."

"Wouldn't Zidane want you to?"

Mikoto tossed another pebble into the stream. "Most likely. I don't feel obligated to look after them as if they were all my responsibility."

"Well don't the mages help out?"

"Not particularly. They cannot do much more than I. It is…difficult…to tell one Genome from another…besides me, of course."

Amarant grunted. "Well, I guess that's true…Well, then you could definitely answer my next question."

Mikoto stood up. "Which is?"

"Do any of the Genomes around here have silver hair? Y'know…like Kuja?" asked Amarant.

Mikoto shook her head. "All Genomes possess the same hair color. Kuja simply used magic to change his appearance. Are you going somewhere with all of these questions?"

"I saw a Genome in Luxor yesterday. He had silver hair. He spoke more like Zidane…y'know, less like you and the other Genomes. I just wanted to know if he came from here."

Mikoto shrugged. "It is very unlikely that any Genome exists other than Zidane and I who possesses a soul. I doubt it was a Genome."

"Oh, it was a Genome. No question about it," Amarant said. "You're not an easy species to mistake something for."

Vivi presently joined the pair. "Hi, Amarant. Are you here to visit?"

"Afraid not. I saw a silver-haired Genome yesterday and thought I should come ask you guys if you know anything."

Vivi shook his head, almost lost his hat, and firmly replanted it on his dark head. "All of the Genomes are blond."

"Yeah, I thought so too…," Amarant replied, running his right hand through his hair. "Well, sorry to cut this short, but I'm off to Alexandria to tell Zidane. Figure he should know. Later, Vivi."

Vivi waved as he walked off. Amarant waved goodbye to Mikoto and started walking away.

She stared down at the stream for a moment and then followed.

She caught up to him as he passed out onto the field. He turned to face her.

"What's up?" he asked.

"I am accompanying you to Alexandria. I'll not stay here any longer. Do not argue, or I won't make this pleasant for you."

Amarant chuckled. "Yeah, you are a lot like me."

The two boarded the airship and Amarant booted it up. "Why are you coming?"

The third Angel of Death glanced out the window at the village as the ship lifted off of the ground.

"Because I don't do everything that my brother tells me to do."

* * *

Zidane met Beatrix at the air cab station at the castle at precisely 9:55 A.M. She smiled and bowed as he stepped off of the cab, making him laugh. She was practically the one person in the castle who treated him as an equal, the way he wanted to be treated. She only referred to him as sire or his majesty or anything like that while talking about him or to him with nobles present.

The two descended the stairs from the arrival platform and entered the castle. Zidane was wearing the least regal thing he had worn within Lindblum Grand Castle in the past two years. It made him feel better to be next to Beatrix, who never looked very regal either.

Artania greeted them in the castle foyer and led them to the lift. He flipped the lever and turned to face Zidane.

"The Regent has something very important for you and Lady Beatrix to see, sire," said the minister. "It is his latest project. I believe he has mentioned it briefly to you before?"

"Yeah. He didn't say much, though. Just that it would 'revolutionize air travel as we know it', or something."

Artania chuckled. The bell dinged, and the lift gate lowered into the floor. "And here we are. The Regent is waiting in the conference room. Feel free to enter. If you'll excuse me, I must depart. There's been some trouble in the Industrial District that they're asking me to mediate. Take care!"

Zidane and Beatrix stepped off of the lift, smiled and waved, and Artania descended down below.

"Hopefully we'll have a new ship in our future soon," said Beatrix, grinning.

The pair entered the conference room. Cid was sitting at the end of the table, with Eiko beside him. She lit up when she saw Zidane enter.

"Zidane! Daddy, you didn't tell me that Zidane was coming!"

Cid laughed. "I didn't know. Artania doesn't tell me anything… Well anyway, greetings, you two! Have a seat."

"Hey Cid. How's it going?" asked Zidane as he sat down across from Cid. Eiko hopped out of her chair and pulled the one to his left out. Beatrix sat to his right.

"Great! Just terrific. My new system is absolutely perfect. I'm telling you, Zidane, it will revolutionize air travel," Cid replied. Eiko rolled her eyes.

"That's the only thing he's said for three months now. Mom and I are sick of it."

Zidane grinned. Cid chuckled. "Y'see, Zidane? This is what having kids gets you. But anyway, how are you two? And how's Garnet?"

"She's well, Cid," Beatrix said. "She's been rather busy lately…but she's doing well."

"I'm on vacation," Zidane said. "Gonna stay with Tantalus here for a while. I have some things on my mind, and…"

"I'd say he's earned it," Beatrix said, smiling.

"Well, let's get down to business, shall we?" Cid asked, clearing his throat and laying a sheet of paper out on the table before him. "My technicians down at Zebolt Yards have completed their inspection of the Red Rose. It is still sound, certainly. The power plant, however, is not. We did the best we could engineering a steam engine system for the Red Rose, but, at forty, it's no spring chicken. What sort of symptoms have you noticed lately?"

"Just on the way over, it sputtered and dropped a little four or five times. Once when we were about to dock," Beatrix replied.

Cid laughed. "I'll bet that was a bit of a shock, no doubt. Well, I'm not going to sugarcoat it – we can keep servicing the Red Rose every few months, but sooner or later, it's going to fail, and I for one would hate to be aboard when it does."

"Well, Regent, that's one of the reasons we're here today," Beatrix said. "We're hoping to have a new flagship built. I know that you're very busy with your projects, your new fleet, and expanding the city, but we really need a new-"

"Say no more, Beatrix. I'll begin work on it immediately! I need something to design my new invention around, anyway. So far I've only retrofitted the Hilda Garde VI to accommodate them, but I've yet to design a ship around them yet…yes, it'll be a masterpiece!"

Zidane grinned at Eiko, who rolled her eyes again.

"Come with me, you two. I'll show you just what I'm talking about. Eiko, do you want to come?" Cid asked.

Eiko shook her head. "I've seen it enough. Later, Zidane!"

Zidane and Beatrix stood up and followed Cid out to the lift. He grinned as he hit the lever.

"In my research, I've been searching for a new form of propulsion capable of higher speeds. So, I decided I needed to think outside the box. Steam wasn't going to cut it for this, no…I knew I would need something much more volatile. Capable of a boom, you know. This lead me to consider using oil."

"Oil?" Zidane ventured, knowing Cid was waiting for his response to begin another tirade.

"That's right, OIL, my boy! But not just any oil! Not olive oil. Not vegetable oil. Crude oil. Petroleum. It'll light your fire, if you'll pardon the pun."

"Petro…leum?" Beatrix asked.

"Yes! It's astounding stuff. Comes out of the earth. Decayed, compressed, bio-matter. About as flammable as it gets. But it can be refined. You can make it cleaner, lighter. You can make it burn hotter. And that made me wonder…what potential airship uses can it pose? That's when I came up with my new engine! Well, two new engines, actually! But enough said now. Wait until you see it in the shipyards."

The bell dinged and they departed. Cid lead the pair out across the walkway to the shipyards and onto another lift.

"I've been keeping my big projects down at the base level. Need a lot of floor space, y'know?"

The bell dinged and they departed. Standing on two fifteen-foot pylons was a long, cylindrical steel tube. A many-bladed fan, sort of like a propeller, was hooked into the front of the tube. The rear was empty.

"This, my friends, is the JET ENGINE!" He threw his arms out as if expecting something like swaying premier lights and confetti, but nothing happened.

At last, Zidane spoke. "That's…great, Cid. What does it do?"

"What does it do? Simple, my boy! It sucks in air through this end and forces it out of the smaller hole in the rear, creating propulsion! Petroleum is what drives the turbine. I don't expect it to catch on immediately, but I'm going to equip every ship in my fleet with a pair posthaste. And, most importantly, I'm putting a set on your new ship."

"So what was that second thing?" Zidane asked.

"Oh, right." He gestured down to his left, where a clunky hunk of steel with tubes jutting out of the side sat. "This is the internal combustion engine. It's nothing special."

"And it runs on petroleum?" Beatrix asked.

"Refined petroleum. Gasoline. I haven't managed to get it to work well, yet. I don't expect this will be in use any time soon. Nor do I expect to see the jet engine commercially available within the next twenty years. Very expensive to build, you see. But for Alexandria, I can spare a set."

Cid grinned triumphantly.

At last, Zidane raised his hand in the air.

"Yes?"

"Can we…see it work?"

"Oh…of course! How silly of me. Come, we'll take a spin on the Hilda Garde VI," Cid said, leading the pair out onto a dock where Cid's latest masterpiece, the sleek and form-fitting HG MK-VI sat. Two silver cylinders were mounted on the sides. However, it still had its propellers.

"I'm not forsaking the steam engine, of course. It's simply two new to disregard, and the jet is too unreliable to rely on completely. But when you need speed…woo boy, do you get speed."

They stepped on board and Cid quickly headed to the bridge. Zidane lingered on the deck for a moment to inspect the jets, and then ran into the ship.

"Okay, Zidane…I'll let you turn it on so you can get a feel for it. For starters, start the ship as you would any steam-powered airship," Cid said. Zidane performed the necessary steps and the propellers began whirring to life.

"Alright. Now take 'er out."

Zidane did as instructed and the ship lifted off of the scaffolding. He began gaining altitude.

"As you can see, the jets haven't been activated yet. That's the beauty of it. They don't need to be until you want them to be. The helium is still providing lift. The propellers are functioning normally, providing thrust. But say you want to go faster. Much, much faster. Flip that red switch up."

Zidane flipped the switch, and he heard the sound of something else whirring to life – air getting siphoned into some great mouth.

"The jet engines are active, but they are idle. Now, see that throttle beside the main one for the propellers? Push it forward to the first mark. Twenty percent engine power. But, throttle the propellers back twenty percent."

Zidane did as instructed. After a second or two, the speed of the ship began increasing, and it was soon moving roughly twenty percent faster than previously.

"Mind you that this is only at twenty percent engine power. Propellers are still running at eighty percent capacity. And we have seen a dramatic speed increase. But, say this isn't fast enough. Simultaneously throttle the propellers back to zero and the jets to one-hundred."

Zidane did. About five seconds later, the speed began increasing. Quickly. They were soon flying north across the Mist Continent faster than Zidane had ever thought possible. They were going at least five times faster than a standard steam-driven flight.

"Wow, Cid! This is sure something," Zidane said, glancing at the Regent, who had a smile akin to one either very naughty or very triumphant. Beatrix, on the other hand, looked terrified.

"And y-you're g-going to p-put one of these on our sh-ship?" she asked, clutching the railing tightly.

"Oh, not just one. They work best in pairs. Obviously it would be unbalanced to have just one on one side, and to have just one in the middle doesn't provide optimal thrust. So, there you have it," Cid replied. "Quite a beast, if I do say so myself."

Beatrix nodded. "Got that right."


	7. The Heist Begins

**Chapter 7**

How on earth would Beatrix react if she knew that Zidane was doing this? She would probably have a conniption fit. Pop a blood vessel in her eye. Maybe her head would just explode.

That's right, he was doing it. Disregarding any and all promises he may have made to Beatrix (he did have his fingers crossed), he was going to accompany Tantalus on the biggest, most dangerous, and potentially most lucrative heist that had ever come their way.

Zidane wasn't taking chances, though. He was wearing his cloak, with his hood up. He had borrowed a black veil from Marcus with which he might cover the lower half of his face. He kept his tail wound into a little circle beneath his cloak. Nobody would recognize him.

The Lindblum sky was gray this morning; it was reminiscent of brushed steel. It was warm out, though, on this late-June day. Baku had told him that there was a chance of rain, and Zidane thought that that might not be a very unrealistic guess.

He stood calmly above the docks in the Financial District, the two Lindblum Commerce Guild airships beneath him. The small one was his target – the escort ship. He, Blank, and Marcus would board the escort craft, knock out the guards, dump them out behind one of the buildings nearby, and then Blank and Marcus would don their uniforms while he hid in the escort ship. They would take off as if nothing were amiss.

Baku and Cinna, meanwhile, would sneak aboard the main vessel and take out as many guards as they could – silently. When the coast was clear, they would give Zidane the signal, and he would move the escort as close as possible to the big ship, allowing his two partners to board. They would collect the loot while he piloted the escort craft, and they would use it as their getaway. It would be stupid to take it back to Lindblum, of course, so they would head for a predetermined meeting spot high in the Aerbs, where one of Baku's many associates would come with a ship. He, unlike Tirkto, would get a cut, for he, unlike Tirkto, actually did something for it.

"Boss just sent word, it's time to strike. They'll be bringing the gil aboard the main ship in a half-hour, so we had better take out the guys on the escort quick," Marcus said, appearing by Zidane's side.

"Alright," the genome said, pulling Marcus's black veil up over his nose. "Where's Blank?"

"Down there," stated Marcus, pointing to a stack of crates, out from which Blank popped. He waved for the two to join him, which they did.

There were three guards aboard the vessel; they were all sitting around shootin' the shit, as it were. Zidane whipped out a dagger and spun it around. Blank pulled a club out of one of the crates, and tossed it to Marcus. He proceeded to pull one out for himself.

Zidane leapt into the craft, lunging upon one of the guards and smacking him hard on the top of the head with the butt of his dagger handle. The guard dropped like a stone.

The other two now stood up, astonished, but were too slow to do anything as Marcus and Blank were soon upon them. With two or three good blows, they were out cold as well.

"Easy money," Blank said, spinning the club around.

"Yeah yeah, don' get cocky. This was the easy part. Now strip off their uniforms. I mean, Zidane ain't wearin' one, but we had better," Marcus said, pulling off a pair of pants. "Heh, tighty-whities? What a dork!"

After stashing the knocked-out guards behind a warehouse nearby, Blank and Marcus hastily pulled the uniforms on over their clothes. Zidane hid behind some boxes while Blank and Marcus sat down.

After a few minutes, heavy pants could be heard outside and Blank glanced out. They were loading the gil aboard the main ship.

A tall, rather mean-looking Burmecian came aboard the escort and glanced back and forth between Marcus and Blank. At last he spoke.

"Where's the third guard?"

"Huh? What third guard?" Marcus asked.

The Burmecian growled. "Whaddya mean 'what third guard'? They said there'd be three guards!"

"Nope. We were the only two they sent," Blank replied.

The Burmecian growled. "They never tell me anything…ergh, no matter. I'm sure you two can handle it fine. We're lifting off in ten minutes – we'll radio you at liftoff."

Blank and Marcus saluted, and the Burmecian growled something about inefficiency. With that, he turned and left.

"I wonder if the boss and Cinna got aboard?" ventured Blank, leaning back in his seat.

As if to answer, there came a mighty sneeze from outside, and then, "God bless you man! That was quite the sneeze! Be careful; nearly dropped the crate!" "(Sniffle…)…Thanks. Sorry 'bout that…"

Ten minutes passed, and then the radio beeped. Blank casually pressed the receiver button.

"This is LCG Transport Ship #008. We're taking off. See you in the air."

"Roger that," Blank replied, spinning around in his chair. The radio clicked as the line closed. "Hey Zidane, you're flying this rig, so c'mere."

Zidane popped out from his hiding place and took a seat. He powered up the engine and the propellers whirred to life. He waited for the main ship to take off and then lifted off himself, keeping well behind the behemoth frigate.

"I don't think Boss'll give us the signal 'til were over the Aerbs…," Marcus said, glancing down as they passed over the walls of Lindblum.

* * *

Amarant's airship settled down into the tranquil waters of Alexandria Lake at about midday. Mikoto was standing at a window, taking in the city. 

"Bit bigger than the village, eh?" he asked, grinning.

"I have never seen a settlement this big, no," Mikoto replied, turning towards the exit.

"Y'know, Lindblum's three times bigger, at least…"

Mikoto shrugged. "I guess that's their problem, then."

As she stepped down out of the ship, Amarant grinned. "Little snake, that one…"

He powered down the ship and followed his genome companion out onto the dock. She was staring at the giant gleaming sword that stuck out of Alexandria castle.

"What's the point of a blade that gargantuan? No one could ever wield it…"

Amarant shrugged. "I guess it's the prime example of excess…" He turned to look at Mikoto, but she had already walked to the end of the dock.

"…And how long will you be parked here, miss?" asked the port master.

"He's the one you want. It is his ship," she replied, heading off towards the skiff that would transport her to the castle. She was three steps ahead of him.

The port master approached Amarant. "Ehem…how long can I expect you to be parked here, mister…?"

"Amarant Coral. Not long. Maybe one night."

The little man nodded. "Very good. Have a nice stay in Alexandria, Mr. Coral."

Amarant nodded and ran towards the skiff to catch up with Mikoto. He leapt aboard just as the soldier rowing pushed off.

"Y'know, you could've waited!" he growled, catching his breath.

Mikoto laughed. "Yes, and you could have been quicker, but you're here, are you not?"

Amarant chuckled. "You're only lookin' out for numero uno, eh? Can't blame you. Numero uno is exactly who you need to look out for."

The blonde girl shrugged. "I suppose."

The trip to the castle wasn't long, and soon they reached the shore. The pair disembarked together this time, but Mikoto quickly got ahead of him.

Steiner stood next to the doors, holding his sword in a way he imagined to be quite impressive. He wasn't paying much attention to his surroundings; he only cared about adjusting his posture to get to the perfect knight stance.

Mikoto glanced at him but slipped right past.

A moment later, Amarant approached. It would be impossible to miss him.

"Ah. To what do I owe the…pleasure, Amarant?" Steiner asked.

Amarant laughed mockingly. "Yeah yeah, Steiner. Nice to see you too. I need to talk to Zidane. Is he here?"

Steiner shook his head. "His ROYAL MAJESTY King Zidane Tribal Alexandros is on vacation in Lindblum. The queen is here, though. If there's something you need to tell Zidane, I'm sure you can tell her."

Amarant shrugged. He honestly didn't know whether he could tell Garnet. "I guess I can tell her. May I?" he asked, gesturing towards the door.

Steiner nodded. "Follow me. I'll arrange a meeting."

As they passed into the foyer, Amarant found himself wondering where Mikoto had wandered off to. He was sure she'd be fine by herself, though.

Mikoto ascended the grand stairs above silently, taking in every detail of the castle. The red velvet carpet, the marble stone stairs, the great mahogany doors. As she reached the top, she grinned. "I shall live here. Zidane won't tell me otherwise."

"Oh…who're…? That tail! You're Mikoto, aren't you? It's been so long, and yet…you don't look much different at all." Mikoto glanced over to see an amber-haired female knight walking out from a pair of doors. An impressive sword hung at her side.

"You're General Beatrix, right?" Mikoto asked, still staring at her sword.

"That's right, but…what are you doing here?" Beatrix asked, following the genome's gaze to her blade.

"I…I have decided that I won't stay in the village any longer."

Beatrix smiled. "How'd you get here?"

"I can answer that," came a certain gruff voice coming up the stairs. Steiner came into view first, followed by the certain gruff individual to whom the voice belonged.

"Ah, Amarant…what is the occasion?" asked Beatrix, extending her hand to the big man.

Amarant shook it twice. "I need to talk to Zidane about something, but Rusty here told me that he's on vacation…so, I guess Garnet will have to do."

Steiner made an angry little grunt and began shaking his fist in the air. "The queen will "have to do"?!? How dare you speak out of turn like that, you-"

"Steiner, hush. You just leave this to me, okay?" Beatrix ordered. Steiner growled again. "But he…such talk is…oh, very well! But mind yourself before the queen!"

The knight marched down the stairs in a rut.

Amarant grinned. "Sorry about…"

"It's fine. Anyone else, I would reprimand myself, but, you're a special case. Anyway, follow me, please."

Beatrix pushed the doors open and marched through, holding them open for her two guests. Garnet stood nearby, speaking with a noble. She immediately broke off the conversation when she noticed the newcomers.

"Oh! Amarant! And…Mikoto? What are you doing here?"

Mikoto didn't answer, but passed right by, glancing around at everything and nothing.

"I saw a genome in Luxor the other day. Emotive Girl didn't know anything about it…I figured Zidane oughtta know, but since he's not here…"

Garnet nodded. "He's…vacationing…in Lindblum. Beatrix just got back yesterday afternoon… at any rate, if you think it's a serious matter, you can go find him. I guess he's probably at the Tantalus place, right Beatrix?"

The female knight nodded. "When last I saw him."

"Okay…guess I'll do that. Can we stay the night? It's already noon, so…," Amarant asked.

"Certainly," Garnet replied, glancing back at Mikoto. "Beatrix, would you get a servant to tidy up a couple of guest rooms?"


	8. Disaster

**Chapter 8**

Tantalus usually came out on top, but this job looked especially good. When Baku gave the signal, Zidane would ease on up, let Blank and Marcus over onto the main vessel, and they would begin hauling the gil over onto the escort. Cake.

"A bit like free money, huh?" Blank had said, munching noisily on an apple. "I figure we're just doin' the Robin Hood thing…"

"Yeah, we're robbing hoodlums alright," Marcus replied, smacking Blank on the back of the head. "Now finish that apple…the boss'll give us the signal soon."

Zidane grinned, still watching the rear of the main ship for any sign of the big guy. Finally, he came out, waving vigorously.

Zidane accelerated and lined up with the ship, allowing Blank and Marcus to (cautiously) jump over. Baku walked over to the edge of the ship to speak with Zidane. His stolen uniform was about six sizes too small.

"Alrigh', we'll start moving the gil over. Just keep 'er nice n' steady. We took care of everyone on board – Cinna's pilotin'."

Zidane saluted and Baku ran off. Not long afterwards, Marcus and Blank came with the first crate of cash.

"(Huff!) (Puff!) This thing's heavy…"

"Well whaddya expect, ya idiot? It's full of sweet, sweet legal tender!"

"Yeah, but I didn't…(Pant!)…expect it to be this heavy!"

The pair appeared at the door and pushed the crate in with all their might – there would be no easing it across between the ships.

The box made quite the noise when it hit the floor, but held. Blank, who looked completely out of breath, stumbled along behind Marcus for another crate.

"The sooner this is done, the better…," Zidane muttered, glancing at the sun. It was already pretty far west, and the light was changing.

Then there came a racket from the main ship – a crate busted open.

"Agh! You imbeciles! Clean it up! We can't be losin' profits!"

Zidane growled. This wasn't what he wanted.

He glanced down at the gauges and gulped. The engine was beginning to heat up at an alarming rate. "No, no, no!!!"

He opened an emergency venting valve, but the heat kept climbing. Presently, Blank and Marcus appeared at the entry with armfuls of gil. They dumped the silver coins onto the floor.

"Shit!" Zidane shouted, smacking random buttons. "This thing's overheating!"

"(Huff!) What's that, Zidane?" asked Blank.

The engine temperature gauge was flickering on the very right side, well beyond overheating. There was a boom, and several propellers died.

Zidane jumped up. Another boom, and the ship immediately started sinking. With a lunge, he grabbed Blank's arm and was pulled up while the escort craft plummeted.

Zidane watched in horror as their one getaway, not to mention their profits, literally went up in flames. It hit the ground with a boom and steam shot up like a geyser.

"Oh no…no no no, this is NOT good…"

Blank's face had lost all color and looked a bit like he had seen some unpleasant specter.

"Zidane, what're you doing on this ship? Who's flying the es…" Baku began, glancing to where the escort craft should have been. "…cort. What the hell happened, boy?!?"

"I dunno! It just started overheating, the propellers stopped, the engine started blowing, and I got the hell out."

Baku staggered backwards slightly. He collapsed to the ground slowly, as if breathless.

"Boss, we've got prob…" came Cinna's voice, as he came running out from the bridge. He lost his train of thought when he locked eyes on Zidane.

Suddenly, a Burmecian ran out from behind him, brandishing his lance madly.

"That would be one of the problems…" Cinna muttered. The soldier slashed at him, and the portly man dodged.

It was only now Zidane realized he was not wearing Marcus's black veil.

"You're…You're the king of Alexandria! You greedy bastard, you're here to steal back your money, aren't you? It's just like that dirty Tirkto said!"

Zidane remembered with horror the deal he and Garnet had maid with the stiff guy from Lindblum. "Oh no…why, God? Why me?"

The rat lunged at Zidane, but Marcus caught him off guard, knocking him out with the butt of his sword. The Burmecian soldier fell with a thud.

"What did he mean…your money, Zidane?" Baku asked, still sitting on the floor.

The genome moaned. "I'm so stupid! How could I forget?!? God, this is exactly the reason why I shouldn't be the king of a country!!!"

Baku stood up. "Out with it! What did he mean?!"

"Half of the money on this ship…was donated by Alexandria to aid in the restoration…and I completely forgot about that…did you hear what else he said? Said it was just like Tirkto told them," Zidane muttered, his fists shaking. "That rat set us up! Why?!"

Baku growled. "Little bastard pro'lly had it planned the whole time. Knew we wouldn't cut him in."

Cinna waved his arms wildly. "Hello?! I said 'problems'! The rat wasn't the only one!"

"Well what's the bloomin' other?!" hollered Baku.

"The ship is overheating! I can't get it to stop! We're gonna crash!" Cinna shouted. "I'm too young and beautiful to die!"

Zidane groaned. "This whole thing was a setup. Someone rigged the ships to malfunction. Somehow I doubt Tirkto worked alone…"

Sure enough, the big ship started dipping downward, slowly at first, and then quicker, as more and more propellers failed. The engine made several loud booms before finally completely shutting off. A valve on the side of the ship blew open and boiling water shot out, raining down on the Daines-Horse Basin below.

"What do we do? How do we get off of this ship?!" Blank asked, frantically flapping his arms like a bird.

"We don't get off of this ship…" Zidane muttered. He glanced at what they were heading for; of course, it was a sheer rock face. "But we can't just give up! Brace yourselves against something; we're about to impact!"

Zidane knelt down against the wall and the others did the same. The big ship creaked as it kept turning its nose downward. There was a sickeningly silent moment, and then, impact.

Zidane felt himself thrown hard against the wall. The front of the ship was crushed in like a soda can; he could hear the metal compressing. Several things exploded, but he knew not what. After the longest ten seconds of his life, all fell silent.

He glanced around at his comrades. They were all still in one piece, albeit shaken.

"You guys okay? Anything broken?" asked Zidane, cautiously standing up.

Everyone responded with "I'm alright" or "Nothin' broken". They all stood up carefully, thoroughly shaken.

It was raining now. It fell in misty sheets, veiling the darkening Daines-Horse.

Suddenly, the remaining rear of the ship collapsed, and they all fell onto their butts.

"Do you think anyone else made it…?" asked Zidane, standing up again.

"I doubt it…," Cinna replied. "Other than this fool, they were all up in the front parts of the ship. I bet they're all flat as patties."

Zidane cursed. "I should have just listened to Beatrix! Then I wouldn't be in this mess!"

Baku placed a big hand on Zidane's shoulder. "Hey…it's not your fault. Tirkto set us up, n'…"

"No! A king shouldn't do stupid shit like this! I can't be both, Baku! I can't be a king and a thief!"

Baku grinned. "Well you could always be the king of thieves…"

Zidane couldn't help smiling slightly. He quickly caught himself and returned to scowling.

Baku cleared his throat and then let out a big sneeze. He placed his hands on the railing slowly, as if to be gentle to the dead ship.

"You three…," he began, turning to the others, "go do a little recon. Get any supplies you can find. We have to get out of here soon."

The three silently saluted and ran off in different directions. Baku let out a long sigh and stared out into the intensifying rain.

At last, he spoke. "So what's it gonna be, kid?"

"Huh?" asked Zidane, lost in thought.

"I said what's it gonna be? King of thieves…? Or king of Alexandria?"

Zidane stared into Baku's friendly eyes, and then looked away. He gazed down at the ground below. "I…I am the king of Alexandria."

Baku smiled. "Funny how these little journeys of yours always turn out." He stretched and turned. "I'm going to go help those three numbskulls out. We'll meet back here in five."

Zidane nodded silently as Baku stomped on down towards the front of the ship.

"…I can't be both…So I'm going to be…the good one."

He turned and looked around, trying to get a feel for his surroundings. The ship was about sixty percent smashed into the rock face, which was easily seventy or eighty feet high. To the east, the plains were illuminated only by the moonlight. He could see fires in the distance. To the west, the Aerbs rose to the Alexandrian border.

"Where the hell will we go now…?"

Baku and the crew returned five minutes later, caring two tents, a bag full of food, and several blankets in another bag.

"Alright fellahs. As you know, Gizamaluke's Grotto is impenetrable nowadays. The rats have it guarded 24/7. So we're going to have to find another way back into Lindblum…" Baku stated.

"And you have just that way, right?" asked Blank.

The boss nodded, unfurling a cloth map from his back pocket. It detailed the entire Mist Continent.

"Here we are," he said, pointing to a spot in the eastern Daines-Horse Basin. "Here's Burmecia…and here's Gizamaluke's Grotto. We can't take the coast south; the Aerbs cut it off here, see? So we're gonna have to take another grotto south."

"And there are other grottos nearby, right?" Cinna asked.

"Right. This one here is always unguarded. You can't enter it in the winter – the snow always clogs it up. In the summer, it's wide open. A stream runs through it from this lake here…all the way under the Aerbs. The exit is in the middle of the Eunorus Plains…here. Home free. It's a documented escape route during wartime, so we know it's navigable. So get ready, boys. We're heading out! We'll get as far away from here as possible, make camp, and take the grotto in the morning."

As they left, Zidane could see lights in the distance, but they were moving towards the ship.

* * *

Garnet ascended the stairs in a huff, holding her dress up so not to trip over it. At the top, she stopped for a moment, wondering whether to turn in for the night or go out on the big balcony to think.

"I swear, when he gets back, I'm going to take my own vacation! That'll teach him! Yeah!" she proclaimed, throwing her arms out wide.

She glanced back at the double doors leading up to her room and shook her head, walking out onto the balcony where her mother had often sat. During performances, she always sat out on this balcony. They brought out a red velvet chair, and Beatrix and Steiner would always be right there.

Tonight it looked rather bare and black under the starlit sky. The twin moons hung beautifully low in the eastern sky, reflecting on the lake. But she wasn't alone. There, standing at the edge, leaning on the wall, was Mikoto.

"I…didn't know you were out here," Garnet said, approaching.

"I don't like this type of weapon," Mikoto replied. Garnet was confused, but then noticed a green dagger in the girl's hands; likely one of Zidane's. She was turning it over and over, scrutinizing it. Funny, this dagger suddenly made Garnet remember her old nickname, which she hadn't used for four years.

"And why is that?" asked Garnet, moving right next to Zidane's little sister.

Mikoto scowled slightly as she turned it over and over again. "It's too short. When one attacks, one must draw very close to one's foe. It leaves one vulnerable. I do not like being vulnerable to attack."

Garnet smiled. "Hey, I'll have you know that your brother saved the world with daggers."

Mikoto shrugged, setting the knife down on the balcony wall. "Not entirely. He is quite fond of those double-bladed pole-arms. Swallows, naginatas, whatever you want to call them. Those are decent weapons."

The queen took a seat on the balcony wall. "So, Miss Knowitall, what kind of weapon do you like?"

"Certainly not bows. Bows are for those who possess little courage."

Garnet could think of three or four very courageous archers, but didn't argue. "So…why all these thoughts on weapons?"

Mikoto stared up at the moons. "I don't know."

"Sure you do," Garnet replied.

Mikoto closed her eyes for a moment, and then faced Garnet. "I intend to master some type of weapon. But I do not know what to master."

"So…why do you want to master a weapon?" asked Garnet, running her hand absent-mindedly through her sleek dark hair.

"Because without mastering a weapon, I am useless."

"Not at all. Everyone has something they're good at. Something they do better than anyone else. You don't need to be a master swordsman or lancer or archer or anything to be useful."

Mikoto smiled slightly. "Perhaps. But I'd be useless to Zidane, wouldn't I?"

Garnet was suddenly unsure of how to reply. She started off saying "No, he's…he'd still value…", and then she was unsure again.

The queen simply turned and looked out to the falls. She always thought that she would rather enjoy riding over them, but she knew that truthfully, it would be suicide. Fantasies often were absurd, but that didn't mean that they were any less fantastic.

"So…why'd you leave the Black Mage Village?" Garnet asked.

Mikoto was staring over the Aerbs towards Burmecia. "Because I can."

"I see…you're going to go back, though, right?" asked Garnet, following her gaze.

"Why, because Zidane will tell me too?" Mikoto asked. "Or do you not want me to be here?"

"No, not at all! I like you. You're welcome here anytime!"

"I know. And you know. But does Zidane know?"

Once again, Garnet wasn't sure.

"Okay, so clearly, you don't like Zidane, do you?" Garnet pried, edging a little closer.

Mikoto turned to face her again, frowning a little. "I wouldn't say that exactly. I care for him. And I know he cares for me. But I think he thinks of me as a child, and nothing more."

Garnet nodded. She knew that Mikoto had it dead on. This girl was very astute.

"Let me ask you something. Do you love Zidane?" asked Garnet.

Now Mikoto was unsure how to answer. She rolled this question over in her head a few times. "I…I think I do. I don't know. I'm the only family he has."

"I know he loves you. He loves a lot of people in a lot of ways," Garnet replied, smiling.

Mikoto shrugged. "He is a good person. But he is conflicted."

* * *

Zidane suddenly felt that feeling – that certain feeling that he often felt nowadays. He was certain that Garnet and Mikoto were talking about him right now, and yet, that made no sense.

Mikoto was on the Outer Continent. Safe in the Black Mage Village. She couldn't possibly be talking to Garnet at this very moment.

At any rate, Tantalus had made it to the grotto that night. They had miraculously avoided detection and managed to cart off a little gil after all. Zidane hoped that he had avoided war. Now they were camped out in a little secluded grove nearby.

Zidane was leaning against a log now, staring up at the skies, thinking about his sister and his wife. He just knew that they were talking about him right now. He stared off towards the Aerbs mountains bordering Alexandria and felt an even stranger feeling – he felt like he and Mikoto were looking right into each other's eyes through the mountains.

"Is Mikoto…in Alexandria?" he asked suddenly, causing Cinna to stir beside him. Baku was snoring loudly from within a tent, and Marcus and Blank had passed out ten minutes ago.

He closed his eyes and tried to communicate with his sister. He didn't know if he could, but he was suddenly under the impression that he must try.

'Mikoto…,' he thought intensely. 'Can you hear me…?'

He waited for ten seconds. Nothing. Of course not. What a silly thought.

* * *

"It is totally irresponsible! Foolish! Shameful! Heaping all of the responsibility on the queen while his majesty goes and tears it up in Lindblum! I can hardly stand it," Steiner proclaimed.

Beatrix grinned, lounging on the couch in their quarters in the castle. She simply inspected her wedding ring, rubbing the big ruby in the center of the design with her index finger.

"Oh, hush. I told him to do it. And if it's any consolation, I have convinced her highness to take her own vacation when the king returns."

Steiner growled. "Be that as it may, this is unacceptable! I know I shouldn't speak this way about his majesty, but I cannot sit with my mouth shut!"

Beatrix sighed. "You don't give him enough credit, hon. You think he's just out partying? Hardly."

Steiner sat down in the armchair opposite the couch. "What do you mean?"

"He told me that there's a lot on his mind…he's not doing this for pure pleasure, although reminiscing for the old days with the troupe drove him to leave, sure. He told me that he's worried about what me might become."

"What…?"

"I don't know for sure, but I believe we must respect the king's wishes. And besides…he won't do anything too foolish, I'm sure," Beatrix said, standing up and yawning. "Now…I'm going to bed. Good night."

Steiner accepted a kiss on his cheek and smiled. "Love you."

"You too."

The door to the bedroom closed with that telltale click, and Steiner moved over to the couch. He now felt like he needed to think more before he judged Zidane's actions.

* * *

Morning came before long, and Zidane felt something prodding his side. He was comfortable, though – he didn't want to open his eyes.

"Zidane! Get up! We're headin' home!" Marcus said, nudging the blond gently in the side with his foot.

Zidane's eyes immediately opened. "Oh!" He leapt up and gathered up his stuff, holstering his daggers. "Yeah, let's get back to Lindblum!"

Baku and Cinna were standing at the entrance of the grotto, scrutinizing it silently. Blank was standing a few yards behind them, silently observing.

"What are they doing?" asked Zidane. Blank shrugged.

"Hmm, yes…this'll take us straight home…," Baku said, staring down into the tunnel.

"It's a river," Cinna replied.

"Yeah, it'll take us right under the Aerbs."

"We don' have a boat, boss."

"Oh right…maybe there's one in the lake that feeds the grotto."

"I looked. There isn't."

"We could just float on through."

"No we…y'know, I guess we could."

"Is this water cold, Cinna?"

"Naw, it's pretty warm."

"Okay, then we'll float on through."

"But what if they tunnel gets filled up near the middle or something?"

"Then we'd be… (ACHOOO!) …screwed."

"Well then we shouldn't float on through."

"We'll be screwed if we don't float on through."

"Guess you got a point, boss."

"Damn right I got a point."

Zidane finally interjected. "Geez, let's just go!"

Baku turned and nodded. "See, Cinna? Zidane agrees!" With that, he leapt right into the water. "C'mon, fellahs. Water's fine!"

Blank leapt in next, pushing past Zidane and Cinna. "Cannon BAAAAAAAWLLL!!!"

He made a splash titanic enough to soak Zidane through to the bone.

Marcus jumped in next. Zidane followed.

Cinna glanced around. "Oh…fine!" He jumped in without any further protest.

The tunnel was certainly dark. There were, however, skylights every once in a while, allowing enough light in to see with. Once they passed under the Aerbs, however, these openings no longer appeared, and the five were now left alone floating along in an underground river in complete blackness.

"BossIdon'tlikethis!!!" shouted Cinna, presumably clinging to Baku.

"Aw, quit yer bellyachin'. We'll be fine," Baku replied. "Just enjoy the ride."

Zidane grinned, but of course, no one could see. "Y'know, boss, this is like the stupidest thing we've ever done."

"Sure! But hey, if this grotto's meant for boats, which it is…we ain't got nothin' to worry about. Plenty o' headroom," Baku said, laughing. "Yup, plenty o' headroom." He reached a fist up and felt it contact stone. "…Yup."

"We've only got a foot of headroom, huh, boss?" Zidane asked.

"…Yup."

"Oh yeah, we'll be fine," Blank said from somewhere to Zidane's left. At least they were moving; he reached out and touched the wall and felt it speeding by.

After twenty or thirty minutes of floating in blackness, they finally came out of the cave. It had opened up after they started heading out of the mountains, but boats would definitely not be able to pass through.

The sun was a refreshing sight to Zidane as he and his crew bobbed along, floating down the river.

They were home free now.


	9. New Developments

**Chapter 9**

Stumbling, panting, and damn near bleeding, Zidane collapsed through the door of the Tantalus hideout, gasping for breath like a fish out of water. Blank collapsed on top of him.

"…Get off of me, Blank…," Zidane muttered.

"I would, but I don't have the energy."

Zidane pushed his friend off of his body with as much force as he could muster, which wasn't much. He then forced himself up and over to a chair.

Baku, Cinna, and Marcus soon bumbled on in, arms dangling at their sides. Cinna collapsed as soon as he was inside, but the boss and Marcus made it to the table.

"We're NEVER doing another raid like that EVER!" Cinna spouted from the floor. Blank mumbled something sounding like complete and total agreement.

Baku yawned. "That was…bad, sure…but hell, we had no idea somethin' would happen…"

Zidane put his feet up on the table and leaned back, closing his eyes. "Maybe, but it was still stupid of me."

"It was stupid of all of us," Marcus replied, pouring beer into five big mugs.

"Yeah, but our next job won't end up like that," said Baku, kicking off his boots.

"There won't be a 'next job'…," Zidane began. "Well, not with me, anyhow. We got blood on our hands, whether we directly killed anyone or not…"

"Aw hell, 'snot our fault. Whoever set us up's responsible for the deaths of them Burmecians…," Baku replied, taking a deep swig of beer.

Zidane shrugged. "Maybe. Either way, I'm a king. I can't keep on doing shit like that. I wanted to get away from Alexandria so nothing bad would happen, but then, we go n' do this…It's ironic, really. I gotta go home, boss. I can't let shit like this happen."

Blank and Cinna were snoring. Baku threw his boot at Blank, who rolled over and stopped. He did the same to Cinna.

"I know…hey, I don't think you got nothin' to worry about…y'know, with your power, n' all. You're a good person, Zidane. Too good to do anything bad."

Zidane stared into the beer. "But boss…I did do something bad. Just yesterday. And I hope Alexandria won't have to pay for it."

Baku shifted his position in the chair. "What, you mean like…pay for the ship?"

"No! I mean…that Burmecian, the one who lived…he saw me! What if this starts a war?"

"Naw. They got no proof. None at all. They'll jus' think he's a loony."

"Either way, boss…I'm going home. I can't stay here anymore…I can't be a thief and a king at the same time… they're mutually exclusive," Zidane replied. "I'm gonna leave in the morning. But I'll visit. Don't think this is the end, boss."

"Course not!" replied Baku. "Through thick n' thin, Tantalus sticks together. We'll always be a family, kid. Everyone in this room."

Marcus nodded. "You got lucky, Zidane. You got the girl. You're a king! So get out of here and go live the royal life! Leave the thievin' to us."

Zidane grinned. And yet… "I'm gonna miss the adventures, though…"

"Shoot, there'll be adventures! You'll have stories aplenty by the time your end has come, mark my words," Baku said, giving Zidane the thumbs up. "They'll tell tales…naw, legends…about King Zidane, greatest king of Alexandria who ever did live. You'll be like Gilgamesh!"

Zidane laughed. "Boss, Gilgamesh is still alive. I used to play Tetra Master with him in Daguerreo!"

"Stupid, I know that! Don' mean he's any less legendary!"

* * *

Amarant awoke to the cold gray light from his guest room window, feeling completely comfortable. He hadn't slept this good in ages; his bed in Luxor was lumpy, dirty, and hard. These rich folks knew how to live.

Outside, rain was falling hard. He laid for a few minutes and listened to the pitter-patter of raindrops on the window pane.

Finally, with a yawning stretch, he sat up and glanced around the guest room. As far as guest rooms went, it was quite nice. It looked like most any room in the castle, with its red velvet carpet, marble floors and walls, and gilded trimming. It wasn't very large, but it didn't need to be.

The bounty hunter stood and pulled on his white shirt and brown leather jacket. He grabbed all of the rest of his gear immediately. Finally, he grabbed his boots, put them on, and opened the hall door.

It came as no surprise to Amarant that the hall was empty. He had a feeling that mornings in the castle of Alexandria had their own, slow pace.

Amarant walked down the hall, intent to get some breakfast before he left for Lindblum. He was going to leave Mikoto behind if he could – it's not that he didn't like her, he just wanted to travel alone for this trip. He would stop back here on his way back to the Outer Continent to see if she wanted to come back or not.

The hall opened to a large common area, where a few couches sat around a fireplace. Two guards stood in the corner, conversing casually. They nodded a curt good morning as he passed through the doors to the staircase area.

Out on the balcony opposite where he stood, he could see Mikoto. She was gazing off into the distance, and he didn't intend to let her know he was leaving. He silently snuck on by.

Amarant entered the kitchens slowly, hoping to find a cook. To his mixed horror and joy, there stood Quina, frying up a multitude of eggs in a pan.

"Amarant! You here breakfast?!?" Quina shouted, roughly embracing the man. The Qu quickly released, turning back to the eggs. "Be done two minutes! Go get at table!"

Amarant wordlessly turned and went out to the table, pulling out a chair near the closest end to the kitchen. After a few minutes, Quina came out, carrying a platter covered in all manner of breakfast eats.

The androgynous Qu set the platter down and dished Amarant up. He watched hungrily as three strips of the most succulent bacon he had ever laid eyes on plopped onto his plate, followed by two fried eggs, hash browns, and sourdough toast.

Quina then served itself up and took a seat across from Amarant.

Amarant greedily attacked a strip of bacon, sucking it down like spaghetti.

"There more, if you want," Quina said, smiling. Amarant practically feinted.

"So Amarant, what you do here?" Quina asked, shoveling hash browns and egg into its gullet.

Amarant replied with his mouth full of what have you. "Oh! I…(gulp!)…came to…talk to…(smack!)…Zidane…'bout…(slurp!)…a genome I saw."

"I see. He not here, but you know, right?"

Amarant nodded, further attacking his plate. "So…how's life treatin' you?"

"Oh, it good. I head chef for castle, you know. I make delicious yummies, I eat delicious yummies. I serve friends. We all enjoy. It really good."

Amarant hadn't known that Quina was the head chef. It had really improved its cooking skills; this was definitely the greatest breakfast Amarant had eaten for years. "That's good to hear."

After a second helping, and then a third, Amarant slurped up the remaining yoke on his plate and got up. He thanked Quina for the best breakfast he could remember and walked on out.

"You come back eat more yummy-yummies soon, Amarant!"

"Count on it!" he called, heading for the stairs, leading down into the foyer. Outside, the rain was still falling in sheets. He walked out slowly.

It was actually pretty warm, hovering around seventy degrees. Amarant was glad – he had always enjoyed warm rains.

He glanced down at the lake, where his ship bobbed gently up and down in the dark waters. He began walking down to the boat that would take him to the port, but was quickly stopped by a voice from behind him.

"Amarant! Wait a moment!"

The bounty hunter turned and watched Beatrix run out after him, her sword bouncing up and down as she went.

"We just received word early this morning that a Lindblum Commerce Guild ship was hijacked and crashed yesterday. All ships are grounded until further notice."

"Are you kidding? What do you think the chances are of my ship getting hijacked?" he asked, more than slightly miffed.

Beatrix shrugged. "Sorry, but it's not my doing. The queen made the decision. You can wait for an extra day or two, right? It's not like you're not in the lap of luxury."

Amarant grinned. "Yeah, I guess so. Just kinda bull, is all."

Beatrix nodded. "Yes, I know. Once the Burmecians finish their preliminary investigation, her highness will make the call. So for now, just relax. Did you get breakfast yet?"

"Yeah. It was amazing. That Quina is sure better than he…she…whatever it is…used to be."

Beatrix laughed. "Well good. If you want to head into town, go right ahead. Again, I'm sorry about this."

Amarant shrugged. "It's alright. Gimme a chance to go shopping anyway. Some scumbag busted up my claws the other day."

Beatrix smiled and said goodbye. She ran off to do whatever it was she needed do, which, with her, was always something.

Amarant turned and continued down to the skiff, inspecting the damage Tirkto had done to his claws. Nothing a good blacksmith couldn't fix, but nah, he decided – he'd just buy a new set.

"Where to?" asked the Alexandrian soldier as Amarant stepped on.

"Into town, please," he replied, glancing up at the gray sky. It was probably better he didn't fly today anyway.

As the skiff pushed off, Amarant heard the buzzing of propellers and looked up. An airship flew overhead, a trail of fire blazing through the sky off of one of its dual booms. The front of the boom, where numerous propellers should have been, had a gaping hole in it. The boom itself was fast deflating as helium escaped into the atmosphere.

"Holy crap!" the soldier said, watching as the ship disappeared over the Aerbs, presumably crashing into the ocean. "More hijackers, maybe?!?"

Amarant shook his head. "No, I would say that was either an accident…or it was shot down."

As he said this, he noticed a small ship rising out of the lake behind him – an Alexandrian naval vessel. Presumably it was off to look for the crash site. So much for no airships flying, although he knew he still would not be able to take off himself.

* * *

Zidane had managed to persuade Cid into lending him a ship, even though Tantalus's little mishap, which he had kept a secret from Cid, had lead to a temporary ban on aviation. Zidane told Cid that he needed to get back to Garnet and help her deal with the trouble caused by the accident.

So, around midday, Zidane touched down on the surface of the lake of Alexandria. The sky was still gray, and it had been raining since yesterday morning now.

As he stepped off of the ship, he was met by an irate port master, who at first protested his arrival and shouted about the ban until he realized who he was talking to.

Zidane passed right by without saying a single word and got on a skiff to the castle. The soldier rowing had put a big tarp overtop to keep the rain out.

Zidane knew that it was best he return to Alexandria. Tantalus was too much trouble for him.

As he stepped off of the skiff, he was greeted by an interesting sight. Amarant was leaning against the wall outside the castle, inspecting a shiny new pair of claws. He glanced up as Zidane approached.

"So the king's back…," he said, moving forward. "'Bout time."

Zidane grinned. "What're you doing here, man? Long time no see."

He extended his hand, which Amarant shook. "Just felt like seein' your smiling face again."

Zidane laughed. "Right. Really, though. What brings you down?"

"I saw a genome in Luxor a few days back. Mikoto didn't know anything about it, but I thought you should know."

"Huh…," Zidane muttered. "A genome…? That's weird. Anything special about it?"

"Yeah," Amarant replied. "Had silver hair. Didn't talk like all the others either."

The king thought about that for a moment. "That's…disturbing. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Hey, by the way…you didn't bring Mikoto here with you, did you?"

The red haired bounty hunter nodded. "Yeah, I did. She's upstairs somewhere. Why?"

Zidane was now a little scared. "Two nights ago…I was CERTAIN that Garnet and Mikoto were talking about me. And then I was certain that Mikoto was here."

Amarant was about to reply, but he was cut off. "Sire! How did you get a ship back here?!?"

Steiner came bustling out of the castle, huffing and puffing.

"Easy, there, Rusty. Cid let me take one."

The knight sighed. "Oh. Good. Please come with me, sire. Beatrix has something she must tell you."

Zidane and Amarant followed Steiner into the castle and upstairs to a meeting room. Assembled around the table were Beatrix, Garnet, and…Freya? Mikoto was standing by the window, staring out. She merely glanced at Zidane as he entered.

"Hi, Zidane. How's it going?" Freya asked, beckoning for him to sit beside her.

"Hey, Freya. Whatcha doin' here?" Zidane asked, sitting.

Freya was about to speak, but Garnet cut her off.

"Zidane, how did you get back? Why are you back, anyway?"

Zidane shrugged. "I dunno, I just felt like it was time to come home. I borrowed a ship from Cid."

"Well, impeccable timing. I was just about to brief everyone on the situation," Beatrix said.

"What situation is that?" Zidane asked, fearing a Burmecian war. Maybe that's why Freya was here.

"Yesterday a ship went down," Beatrix replied.

"Oh yeah, I know about that. But that was two days ago, you mean."

Beatrix shook her head. "Another ship went down yesterday morning. Right over our heads. It looked like it was going to crash into the ocean, but we sent out a navy ship, and there was nothing."

"Huh…so Freya, why are you here?" asked Zidane.

"They sent me to talk with Beatrix about these recent ship crashes," said the Burmecian dragoon. "Kind of pointless, but…I suppose it must be done."

Zidane nodded. He glanced at his sister. "Hey Mikoto, how ya doin'?"

She simply shrugged without even turning to face him.

"Why's she here?" he asked.

"She insisted on coming," Amarant said.

Suddenly the door opened and two of the Knights of Pluto, Weimar and Haagen, ran in. "We just received eyewitness accounts saying that two ships have been seen over the Aerbs near Treno! One looked like the ship that crashed yesterday!"

"Are you certain?!?" asked Steiner.

"Yessir, Cap'n!" replied Haagen.

"We got ten reports, all the same!" Weimar said.

Zidane glanced out at the sky. "Well…fire up the Red Rose…guess we're going for a little flight."

"I'm coming with you," Freya said, standing up.

Beatrix nodded. "I shall come as well."

Amarant grinned. "I'm in."

Mikoto turned to face the group. "I am coming along."

Zidane protested. "No, no, you had better stay here where it's safe."

"I'm coming, Zidane," she replied.

"O…o-okay."

Steiner glanced around at everyone in the room. "I shall stay behind with the queen."

Zidane nodded. "Alright, gang. Let's get going."


	10. Afternoon Storm

**Chapter 10**

The storm was picking up intensity now, rain coming down like a tidal wave. Zidane jumped a little as thunder boomed overhead, but tried to pass it off as a sneeze.

"Real convincing…," Mikoto muttered from the edge of the deck, staring down into the dark, choppy ocean waters. They had taken to parking the Red Rose down in the harbor lately, as it could lift off easier after picking up a little momentum on the ocean. Today, however, that meant trouble.

"The engine is too cold, your highness! We just can't get it to warm up enough!"

It was cold. Not like, freezing, but it was only about fifty-two. Zidane had made sure he wore a little extra, but Mikoto simply wore her regular clothes. She said it didn't bother her. Zidane brought an extra cloak for her anyway.

"Keep trying! If we can't get off of the water, we'll never know who's up there!" shouted Zidane over the torrent of water and wind.

Freya calmly approached Zidane. "You need a new ship, I think."

"Yeah, Cid's building us one now. I-" The ship jolted, catching him off guard. He fell to the deck with a hard thump. "…I'd say that this is probably the Rose's last voyage."

The ship began picking up speed a little as the engine warmed up more. The propellers started spinning, but weakly.

"C'mon…," Zidane muttered, "just a little more…"

Mikoto glanced at the propellers and then turned back out towards the open ocean. She watched as a bolt of lightning cracked down on a little island about twenty miles out.

"Electrical discharge…Terra did not experience such phenomena."

Suddenly the propellers lurched and sped up four-fold. Shakily, the Red Rose lifted off from the surface of the ocean. The wings extended, and their propellers spun to life.

The target was a big wooded valley in the center of the Aerbs near Treno. The valley was supposedly uninhabited. Zidane, at least, had never been there.

Beatrix exited the bridge, cloaked in a white robe. "Might I suggest we all go inside?!"

Zidane nodded and started walking, but Mikoto stayed put. He grabbed her wrist and pulled. "Nuh-uh, you're comin' in!"

Zidane pulled the door closed with a sigh – it was much warmer in here. He approached a chair, but just as he began to sit, the ship lurched slightly, and the chair toppled over, causing him to fall flat on his back.

"Sorry, sire!" said the pilot. "The engine's not responding very well! The ship's just too old!"

Zidane shrugged. He stood and glanced out the window. They were now rising up over the Aerbs, and the closer they got to Treno, the lighter the weather became. Zidane suddenly wondered if this storm was centered around the valley they were going to, but reasoned that that was simply foolishness.

The ship somehow made it to the valley, but it was severely shaken. The engine sputtered and nearly died as they touched down in the valley. They'd have to keep it going – there was nowhere to park, and the Rose wasn't lifted by balloon or blimp.

Zidane could clearly see two ships in the valley. One looked like it had crashed, but the other was in one piece. It was small, and looked to be foreign.

"That's the ship," Amarant muttered, pointing at the hunk of wreckage crashed nearby. "I saw it with my own eyes."

Zidane was now a little unnerved, because he had been right – the storm ceased entirely within this valley. It was warm, too.

He leapt off of the side of the ship, and Freya and Amarant followed. Beatrix stepped down on a ladder like a sane human being. Mikoto did the same.

"Nuh-uh, no way, sis! You're staying right here!" Zidane said.

Mikoto shook her head. "No, Zidane, I'm not."

Zidane was going to continue protesting, but Amarant placed a hand on his shoulder. "Girl's made up her mind, Zidane."

The king sighed. "Fine! But you're sticking right by my side, you got that?"

Mikoto nodded. "Acceptable."

"I'll go with you two. Freya and Amarant, would you mind going and checking out the wreck?" asked Beatrix.

The other two nodded, and immediately left.

"Okay, guys. Be careful! We don't know what we're up against!" Zidane said.

"Relax. I've been sword-fighting since before you were born," Beatrix said. "Besides, I once killed one hundred knights single-handedly. To me, whatever we face is nothing more than an insect."

Zidane turned and found Beatrix grinning. He smiled too. "Yeah yeah, don't forget who saved the world now."

The woods here were rather thick, and the clouds overhead blocked out the sun sufficiently enough to make seeing difficult. A thick, gray haze wafting through the trees didn't help either.

"Get a load of this stuff, Beatrix. If I didn't know better, I'd say it were Mist!" Zidane said, running his hand through it.

Beatrix was silent.

They finally reached the clearing where the little ship sat, suspended by a blimp. Six figures stood by, three of whom appeared to be charging magical spells. What was weirdest was that each of them had a very genome-like tail wagging behind them.

As if to mirror his thoughts, Mikoto muttered, "They're genomes."

"Nah! Couldn't be…right?"

Mikoto didn't reply. She simply moved closer, keeping low to the ground. She ducked behind a boulder and waved for the other two to follow.

"Girl's crazy," Beatrix muttered, following. Zidane glanced around cautiously and then went out.

The six genomes surrounding the little ship hadn't noticed. The three casting the spell looked like normal, every-day genomes, but the other three were special.

Two had gleaming silver hair; one was a male, and the other a female. The male sat casually on a crate, munching on something. A short lance or glaive had been stabbed into the soil beside him – its blade was a shiny gold color. The female stood nearby, monitoring the generic three genomes' progress with the spell. She carried a staff.

The other special genome had jet black hair in a style not unlike other generic genomes. What looked like a katana was slung through his belt.

"C'mon, charge up that spell faster! Veitt will return soon, and it must be done by the time he arrives!" the female shouted.

The silver-haired male laughed. His laugh chillingly reminded Zidane of Kuja; come to think of it, he looked a bit like Kuja as well…without the man-thong, though. "Calm down, sis. Give 'em some time, they're just worthless soulless vessels!"

"I don't understand why we didn't just take all of the genomes from that pathetic little village! Why make more? Doesn't make sense!" the girl replied.

The black-haired genome, who Zidane thought looked the most sinister, now spoke. "Because the ones in that village have been tainted with knowledge. They are useless."

So they were making more genomes? Who, anyway?

The girl yawned. "Hurry it up, Veitt. Seriously."

"Hey sis, why don't you shut up?!?" yelled the silver-haired male.

"Hey dumbass, why don't you make me?!?"

"Both of you, be quiet. You're pathetic," interjected Black Hair.

Finally, a silvery light materialized out in the distance, right about as the generic three genomes finished their spell. They cast it, and a purple light shot into the sky. Sparkles rained down on the valley, and then a purple bubble rose up from the mountains, enclosing the entire area. It then disappeared.

"Alright. Spell finished! No one's getting in until we're done here. Hey, have any of the genomes we sent to the wrecked ship got back yet?" asked the girl, turning to face the other two.

"Course not! Do you see anybody else here, idiot?" replied the silver male.

The silver light in the distance was getting closer now, and Zidane could barely make out a figure amidst it.

"You two, shut up. Veitt is here," said Black Hair. The other two did as instructed. He seemed to be their leader.

The figure finally emerged from the woods at the other end of the clearing and walked forward. He was indeed surrounded by swirling, shining fog. Mist?

His face was indistinct, as were most of his features. Zidane could make out a long-fingered hand wrapped around a white staff at least.

"Are you three finished? It is about time. Pathetic, the lot of you. I have finished opening the channel in this valley, by the way."

The three special genomes saluted.

"So, then we didn't really need to cast that spell at all?" asked the girl.

"Hahah, I think not. Did you find out if there were any survivors from the crash?" Veitt asked.

Black Hair spoke. "Not yet, sir. I sent a group of three vessels to investigate, so if they find anything, we shall soon know."

The man shrouded in Mist laughed. "I suppose we shall be waiting for a while, hmm? Not acceptable. You three, go get them. And you three…," he said, turning to the soulless vessels. "Get on board. We are wasting time!"

The three genomes did as instructed and marched on board. The special three ran off into the woods.

Veitt glanced up at the sky. "You three can come out now. I know you're there. Behind the boulder?"

Zidane glanced at Beatrix, who shrugged. The three walked out.

"Who are you? What's with those genomes? What's going on?!" Zidane asked.

He could see Veitt's face better now, but it was still a little indistinct. He slightly resembled garland. "You two…ah, you must be the old…what were they? Yes, 'Angels of Death'. Am I right?"

"Answer my question!" Zidane shouted.

"Hah. You are quick to wonder, aren't you? Always have to be the hero, right? That's why you saved the world, I imagine."

Zidane's hand absent-mindedly gripped the handle of his holstered Orichalcon. Beatrix had her hand on the Save the Queen.

"The Mist is eternal…I don't know why you thought you had stopped it. So I've brought it back. We need it, you see," Veitt replied, swirling his hand around.

"Who's 'we'? What do you need it for?" asked Zidane.

Mikoto nudged Zidane, who turned and looked at her. "You're stupid, you know. He won't tell us anything."

Zidane growled, pulled out his dagger, and sent it spinning at Veitt. He didn't respond in the least – the dagger passed right through him.

"What the hell?!" shouted Zidane.

The Mist-man laughed. "Your part in our performance has yet to begin, Zidane. So today, you three shall leave with your lives. Besides…no harm done."

"Beatrix! Hit him with Shock! Do something!" Zidane ordered.

The knight shrugged. "I don't think it will do any good, Zidane."

* * *

Amarant and Freya approached the wreckage cautiously. The red-haired man glanced around with his hand on his holstered revolver.

"Look. Over there…" Freya whispered, pointing at the edge of the woods where three figures now emerged. Two had silver hair, one had black. Each had a tail.

"That's…that's the genome I saw in Luxor…," replied Amarant.

Three other genomes emerged from the wrecked ship, each possessing blond hair. Amarant caught one mentioning 'no survivors', and 'ruined shipment'.

The black-haired genome growled. "Ciert will be furious!"

The silver-haired girl said something and he stopped raging.

Amarant heard propellers whirring to life in the distance, and watched as the little airship lifted off from amidst the trees.

"What the hell?! He's just leaving us?!" yelled the silver-haired male. The black-haired one slugged him and muttered something.

"What do you mean, you knew?!" shouted the silver-haired male. "Why didn't he tell us?!"

Black hair said something and silver uttered what looked like an "Oh."

Black hair pointed at the three generic genomes and said something, and the silver twins moved in on them. The boy slashed them all down in one sweep of his glaive, and the girl torched their bodies.

"I guess they can't leave evidence…," Freya muttered, turning away from the rather grizzly sight.

Black hair started climbing up the mountainside, and the other two followed.

"C'mon…let's get back to the ship," Amarant muttered.

The five regrouped at the Red Rose, and they told each other what they had found out, which wasn't much.

Zidane kicked the dirt roughly. "I wonder where those three are going then?"

"I dunno, but it sounded like the black-haired one knew exactly what was going on," Freya replied.

"Well…let's just…get back to Alexandria…" Zidane muttered.

As they climbed aboard, he looked back towards the valley and wondered what all of this meant.


	11. The Crystal

**Chapter 11**

"Do we follow sire?"

Zidane stared at the slate-colored sky. His hand rubbed the butt of his right-side dagger slowly.

"Sire?" asked the pilot.

Zidane turned to face him. He shook his head.

"So, what does all of this mean?" Freya asked.

Zidane shrugged. He honestly didn't know. It was all too fast – there had been very little build-up. It was a bit like a novel that moved too quickly.

"It means…," Mikoto began, sitting in the corner, "…that the cycle of souls was not entirely terminated…merely halted."

The Red Rose lifted up into the sky. Zidane watched a bolt of lightning flash through the clouds, and expected thunder, but it did not come as quickly as he had predicted.

The engine sputtered as the ship tipped over the top of the Aerbs and started its descent to the ocean below. Beatrix felt her stomach lurch – Cid's new ship could not come too soon.

Zidane didn't pay much attention to the problems the Rose presented – he was lost in thought.

So was this why he had been experiencing all of these little feelings lately? His second sight, so to speak? Was it because someone had a new master plan for Gaia? That seemed logical, but at the same time, he had no proof.

The Rose splashed down on the surface of the ocean with a colossal whoosh of water. The wings contracted into the body of the ship with a hum.

The wind was starting to pick up again, and the rain battered against the windows like bullets. Amarant, the only one standing, was nearly thrown off of his feet as the Rose took a large wave head-on.

"The engine is having trouble fighting the wind and waves," the pilot said. "I don't know if we can make it back to port, sire!"

Zidane, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to reality. "Oh! Right. Uh…" He glanced to the west at the Edgecry Coast. "We need to find an inlet or something…anything that can offer the ship a little protection."

Beatrix pulled a map out of a compartment next to the pilot and unfolded it.

"Here's one," she said, pointing to a rather large inlet not too far north from where they currently were.

"Okay…push for that! We'll get torn apart out here if we don't get to the shore."

The pilot nodded and pushed the throttle all the way up. The engine sputtered and kicked into high gear as he turned towards the shore. The inlet in question was now visible.

The wind picked up again and there was a sharp ripping noise as the cloth ship-cover tore open. The waves suddenly rose up and the ship creaked and moaned as it climbed over them.

"Engine's getting mighty hot…," said the pilot, pulling various levers. "Doing all I can, but it'll shut off if we don't reach the shore soon…"

There was a boom akin to what Zidane had heard on the two ships in Burmecia that fortunately no one knew he had been on. Then, an explosion.

"Shit!" the pilot cursed, slamming his fist on a button. "The portside vent just blew. It couldn't expel the excess pressure fast enough."

They were almost to the inlet now. Just another minute.

Zidane glanced at Beatrix, who was actually praying.

A massive explosion followed suit, and the sound of wood splintering reached everyone's ears.

"God damn!" the pilot shouted. "Half of the engine blew!"

A wave slammed the side of the ship and it was thrown to the left. They cleared the entrance of the inlet just as the rest of the engine blew, but at least they were in.

"Okay! Everyone, get off the ship! Round up the rest of the crew! Let's hope no one was injured by the explosions!" Beatrix ordered. The pilot saluted and ran off.

Zidane grabbed his sister and ran for the edge of the ship. With a leap, they were on the beach. Now his thoughts were on finding shelter from the wind and rain.

A particularly thick grove of trees at the base of the mountains looked promising. When everyone was off of the ship, they ran for it.

"Look up there! What's that?!" Freya yelled, pointing up at the sky. Zidane turned.

A very large, very blue airship flew overhead. It looked very familiar…mostly due to the fact that, on the bottom, a giant red orb pulsed on and off.

"Is that…the Invincible?!" Freya shouted, shielding her eyes from the wind and rain.

The ship in question stopped above the Red Rose. The red 'eye' pulsed once more, and then, a purple flash ran from the center out to its edges. An ornate circle appeared around the orb, and another flash lit up in the center.

With a colossal boom, a beam of purple energy crashed down on the Rose, blowing it to bits. Zidane was thrown onto the ground as the shockwave slammed into him. There was a loud swooshing sound and a propeller embedded itself into the earth right beside his head.

Zidane cautiously got up and helped the others up. The wind and rain whipped the trees around overhead like some monster.

What appeared to be the Invincible hovered overhead a few minutes before jetting off into the distance with an eerie whoosh.

"What on earth was…was that the Invincible?" Beatrix asked, watching it disappear over the horizon.

Zidane nodded and sat down against a tree. He rubbed his forehead gingerly, taking note of the fading light.

"I can't believe…the Rose…," Beatrix muttered, collapsing against a tree herself. "Did all the crew get off safely?"

"All present and accounted for, ma'am!" proclaimed the pilot.

"I can't let the Red Rose die like this," Beatrix said. "Tomorrow…we'll salvage what we can. Maybe Cid can use some of it…"

The crew all nodded.

Zidane glanced at Mikoto, who was huddled against a rock. He forgot that she stubbornly refused to wear warm clothes.

"You cold, sis?"

She nodded. "I'll be fine, really."

Zidane shook his head and pulled off his cloak. "Here," he said, tossing it to her.

She looked unsure for a moment, but quickly pulled it on.

Zidane glanced up at the sky, shielding his eyes with his hand. He hoped this rain ended soon.

* * *

"What are we doing here?"

"I already told you! I don't know!"

"Well what good are you anyway?!"

Atlas glared at his sister and ran a hand through his long silver hair. His tail bobbed and swayed with the wind coursing across the high walls that surrounded Treno.

He honestly had no idea why they were here in the Dark City. Silas had told them that Veitt had only told him about their mission to prevent their stupidity from messing the whole thing up. That explained why the Mist-man had taken off without telling them.

The minute the trio arrived in the Dark City, Silas told them to wait atop the wall while he went in to negotiate with someone. Atlas saw no reason why he and his sister could not accompany their black-haired comrade, but he did not argue. Silas was the de facto leader of their team.

Arias shivered visibly next to him; she wasn't exactly known for wearing warm clothes – she was generally rather scantily clad.

"Why don't you wear like, a cloak or something? Then you wouldn't freeze your ass off!"

"Shut it. Don't you think I'm kicking myself for that already?" Arias replied.

Atlas grinned. "Just sayin'…"

A figure approached through the darkness, a tail wagging gently behind him. Atlas knew who it was immediately.

"Well, Silas?" he said.

The black-haired genome nodded. "We're good to go. The crystal Veitt wants is at King's Auction House."

"You n-never m-mentioned any c-c-crystal…," Arias muttered, shivering.

"I never mentioned anything anyway," Silas replied. "Now come on. We're going to steal it and get out."

He turned and walked towards a flight of wooden stairs leading to the lower portions of the city where various canals flowed between lakes. Treno's criminal activities always took place down here.

"We're going to sneak into the Auction House from below. We nab the crystal and make for the mountains. Understood?" Silas ordered, not even turning to look at his two peons.

Atlas mock-saluted. "Yessir, sergeant!"

He glanced at Arias. She was no longer shivering viciously down here – it was warm, after all.

They were more closely related than either were to Silas. They were basically fraternal twins, having been created from extremely similar DNA and having been born on the same day. They were seventeen, but Silas was at least a year older.

Atlas glanced up at the wooden flooring overhead, supporting the buildings above them. He could occasionally hear footsteps and speaking.

"How much farther is it?" asked Arias after about five minutes of walking.

"Not much. You'll hear the people and see the lights before we actually reach it," Silas replied.

They passed a bum soon after who looked completely out of it. His nose was broken and he was muttering incoherent babble. Atlas glanced at the jug of whiskey beside him and immediately understood.

The lights were visible first; they swept across the canals like great strobe lights. Silas mentioned that they weren't worth worrying about – no one would see them.

Soon after they passed the sweeping lights, the cacophony of the voices of the patrons reached their ears, and above it all, they could hear the auctioneer:

"Twenty-three hundred oh twenty-seven hundred ah thirty-eight hundred I heard thirty-eight going once, twice…and sold, to the gentleman who bought every item at tonight's auction! We will take a thirty minute intermission and return with more items."

Atlas tapped Silas on the shoulder. "You don't think the crystal would have been bought by now, do you?"

The black-haired genome shook his head. "It's not for auction, actually. The King family owns it."

"But wasn't King…Kuja?" Arias asked hesitantly, as if fearing the possibility of being wrong.

"You don't think Kuja was the only King, do you?" Silas responded as they passed into the dark tunnel beneath the massive King House.

"There were others?" Atlas asked.

"None were directly related to him…he never had a genetic family, per se. He won the Kings over with his personality and magic. I heard he actually had a relationship with a daughter of theirs about his age…the point is, the Kings were around and still are around, regardless of Kuja."

"Huh…," Atlas and Arias muttered in unison.

Silas came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the tunnel and turned to face the wall. Atlas nearly collided with him in the dark.

"Ahah! Here's the back door. Arias…melt the lock, would you?" Silas asked.

Arias nodded and approached the door. She extended a finger and a blue flame shot out of the tip and melted through the lock like magma. Silas pushed the door opened without any trouble.

The room they entered was dimly lit by dying torches in sconces lining the room. Cobwebs hung from the corners, and stacks of boxes surrounded them. A spiral staircase at the opposite end of the room lead up and out of the darkness of the underworld of Treno.

"This is the storage room for items, I think…," Silas muttered. Atlas glanced down at a particularly shiny silver gem-encrusted longsword and confirmed that suspicion.

Arias bent down to inspect a gorgeous platinum necklace, which she quickly pocketed. "So…where's this crystal at? Should we search around here for it?"

Silas shook his head, glancing around the room. "I expect it will be upstairs in the Kings' home somewhere. That's what my contact told me, at any rate."

The black-haired genome made for the spiral staircase. Atlas quickly glanced around, looking for something to take, but found nothing of particular appeal to him. Arias, on the other hand, snatched up a valuable load of jewelry and stuffed it in the pocket of the white sort of robe that covered her back.

The pair quickly followed Silas up the stairs.

The door at the top was unlocked, and Silas pushed it open carefully. He pulled a small mirror out of his pocket and slipped it out the crack of the door – no one in sight.

"Y'know…if you have to kill somebody…go right ahead," he said, slowly making his way out into the dim room.

They must have been in the back room behind the main auction hall, as the muffled voices of nobles could be heard through thick velvet curtains across from the trio. A well-lit flight of stairs led up into what was presumably the Kings' home.

Silas slipped up them carefully, his right hand on the handle of his katana. Atlas cautiously gripped the handle of his glaive.

They emerged into a well-lit hall above and to the left of the auction floor. Curtains were drawn covering the windows allowing a view down into the area; Atlas thought that was probably a good thing.

"My informant said we'd know the crystal when we saw it. It's large and has a slight magical pulse imperceptible to non-magic users. Arias, you should be able to feel it when we get near it," Silas whispered, sneaking along the hall silently. Two big double doors sat in the middle of the hall, and a single door resided at the end, leading out onto a balcony.

Silas pushed the double doors open and quickly entered – if anyone was inside, it wouldn't matter how slowly he opened them.

Fortunately, no one was within the room, which was essentially a common area or living room.

There was a large, marble fountain at the center of the room, surrounded by couches. One of Treno's only electrical systems provided light for this part of the building and the auction floor. At the opposite wall, three doors went deeper into the home; two on each side, and one in the center.

"My gut says center door," Atlas muttered. Silas nodded in agreement.

He made quickly for the door and pushed it open. They were now in a dimly-lit room filled with treasure. The King family crest was emblazoned on the opposite wall.

There, in the center of the room, resting on velvet atop a small pillar, sat a clear, shining crystal. It sparkled without any obvious light reflecting off of its surface.

"Oh yeah, that's it…I can feel a pulse. It's strong…I wonder what it does?" Arias asked, reaching out and grabbing it.

The other two stared at her for a moment, as if expecting an explosion or her to melt or something.

At last, Atlas ventured to speak. "Do you…feel any different, sis?"

Arias shook her head. "No. What were you expecting?"

Atlas shrugged.

"Okay, well, we've got what we came for. Grab anything you like quickly and let's get out of here," Silas ordered.

Arias glanced greedily around and grabbed a huge, shiny diamond. "I'm good."

The trio ran out quickly, exiting the same way they came in. Best get out before they were found out.


	12. A Night in Treno

**Chapter 12**

Zidane's eyes flickered open slowly, the harsh glow of the sun glaring down on him from the heavens. He shielded his eyes and rolled over, letting them adjust for a moment. At last, he sat up.

The storm had cleared last night, and the warmth of summer had quickly replaced it. From the position of the sun (which was just above the Aerbs) it was around ten o'clock.

Mikoto was propped up against a tree nearby, staring out at the sea.

"You overslept," she said.

Zidane stood up and stretched, yawning at the same time. He glanced down at the shore, where the many pieces of ship that once composed the Red Rose were strewn haphazardly about, like some chaotic LEGO set. The crew were pulling what they could out of the ocean, while Beatrix commanded them. Soldiers were aiding in the effort…wait, soldiers?

Zidane scanned the beach and quickly found an Alexandrian ship anchored just off-shore. It was just an ocean-going craft – the Red Rose had been the Alexandrian Navy's only airship.

"When did they get here?" he asked.

"A few hours ago," Mikoto replied. "They came looking for us since we didn't return yesterday."

"I hope Cid can use some of the parts from the Rose…," Zidane muttered.

Mikoto stood up and stared Zidane down – she looked mildly menacing. "Listen, Zidane. I'm going to be with you from here on out. I don't care if you do not want me with you. But I shall require a weapon."

"O-okay…," Zidane replied, attempting to not get eaten.

"So where can I procure an adequate weapon?" asked Mikoto. She eased up a little.

"Um…we could hit Treno. There's always something exotic and powerful in some shop there…Hey, where're Amarant and Freya, anyway?"

Mikoto pointed at the Aerbs. "They climbed the mountains to get help. It ended up arriving regardless. I don't know where they are now."

Zidane grabbed his sister by the arm and pulled her along. "C'mon, let's talk to Beatrix!"

"Your enthusiasm…is disturbing," Mikoto replied.

Beatrix was doing her thing down at the beach, ordering people about and whatnot. Her hands were on her hips and her head was high.

"Come on now, people! Get it together! We can't use any of these parts if they all get claimed by the sea! Work FASTER!"

Zidane tapped her on the back and she jumped.

"WHAAAA-Oh. Good morning, Zidane. As you can see, the salvaging of parts of the Rose is moving along rather…slowly."

"Yeah, yeah. Just help me out here…where are we going next?" Zidane asked.

Beatrix shrugged. "I suppose I had best take that Lindblum ship you borrowed back to Cid. I'll ask him to bring the Hilda Garde VI here so he can pick up these parts. Freya told me this morning before she left that you had better not head off somewhere without her. Amarant seemed to be of the same opinion."

"I guess we're going to Treno," Zidane said.

"Why might that be?" Beatrix asked.

Zidane pointed at Mikoto. "She wants a weapon. I figure Treno'd be a good place to look."

* * *

Atlas begrudgingly kicked a rock into a canal down below the slums. That's where they had to stay – down in the canals below the slums, where they could be attacked by bums or something.

Silas changed his mind after they stole the gem – he decided they would stay in Treno longer, as there were a few deals he could make with some seedy characters that Atlas and Arias were, of course, excluded from meeting.

And, of course, Silas cared not that they risked being found out as the thieves who swiped the goods from the Kings' house. No, they would be fine, he said. Just so long as they didn't do anything stupid.

Honestly, Atlas thought it rather stupid to stay in Treno at all. He wasn't so much worried about being found out as he was of being yelled at by Veitt when they returned late.

"This is retarded," Arias muttered, sitting on the cobblestone path beside him, her legs dangling in the canal.

"I know, but what am I gonna do about it?" Atlas replied, kicking another stone into the sparkling stream.

"We could just leave. That'd show 'im," Arias said.

Atlas laughed. That it would. "Nah, we can't do that. But I'm not just gonna stay down here. Let's go shopping or something."

Arias stood up. "Hey genius, we have no money."

"Yeah, but we got loot, don't we?" he said, pointing at her pocket.

Arias reached in and pulled out one of the necklaces she had stolen. "What if they knew that this was from the Kings'?"

"They won't. There's nothing particularly distinguishing about that necklace. And 'sides, anyone we sell it to here in these slums is not going to care."

Arias stared at it for another moment and then nodded.

Atlas marched up the stone stairs nearby and his sister followed. They emerged into a lamp-lit slum full of people. Several little kids chasing one another passed by without a glance in their direction.

Atlas scanned the square, looking for somewhere where they might hock their loot. Across the square sat a run-down little pawn shop, and he started walking.

"Are you sure about this?" Arias asked. "We probably shouldn't be out in the open like this!"

"Quit worryin'. We're powerful warriors, remember? We're levels above anyone who could bother us in this city."

They entered the dark pawnshop and nearly tripped over the stuff littering the floor. Atlas caught his balance and proceeded slowly into the store.

A filthy hippo greeted him from behind the counter. "What kin I do ya for?"

Atlas thought that such a dark store would be a perfect place to do some stealing. But first he'd see how much this dirty hippo would give him for the necklace.

Arias handed him the article in question, which he set down on the counter.

"What'll ya gimme for this?"

The hippo picked it up and inspected it. "Hm…uhuh…I see. 700 gil."

"Bullshit. That's worth twenty thousand at least!" Atlas replied, swiping the necklace from the hippo's fat hands.

"That's my offer, kid. Take it or leave it."

Atlas suddenly realized that this was a rather stupid idea. No pawn shop owner would ever give him a fair deal on something like this.

He turned and walked out of the shop.

"Any more bright ideas, dumbass?" Arias asked as they emerged into the square.

"Uh…if we could go down into the rich part of town and hit a jewelry store, we could get a much better deal on this thing…," replied Atlas.

"Too risky!" said Arias. "No way."

Atlas growled and thought. "Let's do it. Let's go down there and sell this thing!"

"No! What if we get seen?"

"Yeah, what if we get seen?" Atlas responded. "Nobody saw us at the Kings'! Look, we'll go by the canals and come up down there. We'll be fine!"

Arias looked uncertain. "No!" she said at last. "It's too risky!"

"Fine, then stay here," Atlas said, heading down the stone steps to the underbelly of the city.

Arias glanced around and quickly followed her brother down.

She quickly caught up with him. He grinned at her as she reached him.

"What made you change your mind?" he asked, still walking.

"I don't feel safe in this city by myself," she replied.

Atlas laughed. "That's dumb. You're like a super-powered mage! What do you think might happen?"

Arias didn't respond. Atlas didn't press her, but just kept on walking.

At last, he spoke again. "So what do you think Silas will do when he gets back and we're missing?"

Arias shrugged. "Throw a fit, probably. Let's just get this over with quickly so he doesn't worry too much."

Atlas nodded.

They quickly reached the center of the city, where the canals ended and all flowed into the lake. The nobles lived down here, mostly.

Atlas marched down a dark alley behind a row of ritzy shops. The last one was a jewelry store.

The pair slipped in quietly and approached the counter.

"Can I…," the clerk began, looking up from a catalog of items and inspecting his two customers. "…help you?"

Atlas nodded and pulled the necklace out of his pocket. "We would like to sell this."

The clerk snatched it up and pulled out a little magnifying glass. He scrutinized it for a few minutes, and all the while, his face lit up more and more. At last, he set it down on a velvet pad on the table and smiled.

"This is gorgeous. Platinum…and those rubies and diamonds. Why would you wish to part with it?"

Atlas shrugged. "We don't really need it, and we could use the extra cash."

The clerk nodded. "I see…you didn't steal it, did you?"

Atlas pretended to look aghast. "How dare you insinuate such a thing, sir! We would never stoop so low as to become petty crooks!"

"Ever so sorry, please excuse my indiscretion. Your outfits," he said, staring at Atlas, "or lack thereof," he continued, glancing at Arias, "give one the wrong impression."

"Quite alright," Atlas replied.

"At any rate, I will gladly give you forty thousand for this excellent piece. Do we have a deal?" asked the clerk.

Atlas had no idea whether that was more or less than it was really worth, but either way, it was straight profit. He nodded. "Sounds fair. Glad to do business with you."

The clerk counted up the total of gil and put it in a purple velvet bag. "The bag is on the house," he said.

Atlas smiled and took it. "Thanks."

"Oh no, thank you. Have a pleasant evening."

The pair exited the shop without another word and made for the lakefront. They sat down on a bench.

"He cheated us out of a lot of money, you know," Arias said.

Atlas grinned. "I know, but it's pure profit, so I don't really care."

"Well, we've got the cash…let's go shop," Arias said.

"Yeah, maybe you can get some actual clothes."

Arias slugged her brother. "Shut it. My outfit's fine."

Atlas shook his head, grinning. "And you wonder why you get cold…"

* * *

Zidane hadn't visited Treno for a number of years now, and he was rather glad that he now had the opportunity. There was really nothing he could do about the Mist man or the genomes for now…at least until something came up. Zidane figured he would just wait until Cid finished their new flagship and then go do some searching around.

Speaking of which, Beatrix had probably reached Lindblum by now. Garnet was going with her for whatever reason. All she had told him before leaving was that she needed a vacation herself.

Zidane chuckled as he absent-mindedly inspected an ornate dagger from Conde Petie. Freya and Amarant were off somewhere in the large shop. Mikoto was just up the aisle, eyeing a bulky suit of armor. Zidane hoped she wasn't thinking about buying it.

He still did not like the idea of having his sister along with him where she might get hurt or worse, but he had decided that he would respect her wishes. After all, she was sixteen now. And it was only practical that she be equipped with a weapon, right?

He set the dagger down and approached Mikoto, who looked rather serious scrutinizing the suit of armor. He grinned as the name "Mikoto, Professional Armor Collector" entered his mind.

"Find anything you like?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I certainly dislike this clunky suit. Such armor would offer limited agility."

Zidane grinned. He was relieved; for a moment, he felt as though her were faced with the prospect of fighting beside Steiner, Female Edition.

"Well you don't really need armor, you know," Zidane replied. "Besides, aren't you here to look for a weapon?"

Mikoto nodded. "I briefly looked through the selection of greatswords over there…" She pointed to a rack of massive blades, and Zidane smiled as he pictured her falling over when she picked one up.

"Oh yeah, like you could pick one up," Zidane replied, laughing.

Mikoto grinned a surprisingly mischievous grin. "Is that a dare?"

Zidane nodded. "Believe it."

"Okay…," replied Mikoto, turning to face the greatswords. She grabbed one with both hands, lifted it up, and attempted to get into a fighting stance. She almost lost balance, but managed. "See?"

Zidane was honestly surprised. "How can you…?"

Mikoto set the massive blade down. "I am an Angel of Death, after all."

"Yeah, but…c'mon. You're like…a girl. What, is that one fake and made of foam or something?" Zidane asked, laughing.

"Oh, so someone is sexist," she replied. "It's not like it doesn't feel heavy. I don't think it would be very practical, Zidane. I would tire very quickly."

Zidane grinned, looking at a six-foot long, straight sword that was about a foot wide. Some might call it a zanbato. "Y'know, I knew a blond, spiky-haired guy who used a sword like this once. What was that guy's name…? It was like…I can't remember. His eyes glowed. Kinda neat."

"I'm thrilled for you," Mikoto replied. "Maybe I should get a longsword…"

Amarant's heavy footsteps reached Zidane's ear and soon after the redhead turned a corner and approached the pair. "She found anything?"

Zidane shook his head. "Nah. We're going to go look at longswords…"

"They don't have very many. That store across the street does, though. I've been in there once or twice. Pricier, but you've got cash out the ears, eh?" Amarant suggested.

Zidane nodded. "Alright. You guys feel free to wander, okay? If you see Freya, tell her we'll meet up down at the lakefront in an hour."

"Alright," Amarant replied.

Mikoto followed Zidane out of the shop and onto the path.

"Y'know," Zidane said, pausing. He pulled a dagger out from its holster. "You could just use daggers. I could teach you everything about them, too."

Mikoto shook her head. "For one, I have already determined that the knife or dagger is a useless weapon. Also, you already use it. Every hero must specialize in his or her own weapon."

Zidane laughed. "Every 'hero'? Says who?"

Mikoto shrugged. "I thought you knew. It's sort of like an unwritten rule of heroing."

"Heroing? So you're a hero now?" Zidane asked.

Mikoto shook her head, glancing up at the night sky. "No, but I will be. Once I save the world."

"Who says we're gonna have to?" asked Zidane. Mikoto pushed past him.

"Don't kid yourself," she said as she entered the other store.

Zidane smiled. She was a lot different than he had thought.

He entered the shop behind her and found her standing nearby, glancing from sword to sword.

"Well y'know…Steiner uses swords," he argued.

She shook her head. "Yes, but he doesn't use longswords."

"Beatrix does."

"True, but she only uses the one. It's special. It's nothing I could ever have," Mikoto replied.

Zidane laughed. "You're rather opinionated, aren't you?"

"I suppose so." She pulled a red and white longsword similar to the Save the Queen off of the wall. It looked too narrow. She replaced it and grabbed a different one.

The one she pulled down was white and blue. It was wider than the previous one, and had several spikes coming off of it at strategic spots. The handle was guarded by a spiked extension of the main blade. A rope came off of the end of the handle and ended in a silver, blue, and white tassle.

"This is it," she said, swinging it a few times. "This shall be my weapon."

"Why so sure?" asked Zidane. "You really should try out a few others. You might like another better."

Mikoto shook her head. "I won't like any other better. This is the sword for me."

Zidane grinned yet again. "Alright. That all you want to buy?"

His sister nodded.

"Well then let's pay and get out of here. Hungry?"

Mikoto nodded again.

"Good. I am too," Zidane said, placing a very large sum of gil on the counter. The clerk counted it up and they left.

As he stepped through the door, he bumped into someone.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't see…," Zidane began, glancing at the person he had bumped into. His hair was silver, a glaive was hung from a strap on his back, and a tail waved back and forth behind him.

He immediately turned and ran, and a girl flashed past the door as she ran after him, her tail waving just the same.

Zidane ran out of the door. "Hey! Stop!"

Mikoto appeared beside him. She glanced at him and nodded. They both started chasing after the pair of genomes.

"I wonder where the black-haired one is…," Zidane mentioned, pulling an Orichalcon from its holster.

Mikoto held her sword balanced over her shoulder. "I bet he's around."

The sibling pair of genomes dodged into an alley, and Zidane and his sister followed. Stairs lead down to the canals in the underworld of Treno, and they were slick with water. He nearly tripped.

The pair stopped briefly at a fork in the path and glanced down each to find the fleeing pair. They could barely make them out in the dark and quickly raced on.

"Hey! You two! Stop!" Zidane shouted, pushing himself to run faster. Mikoto easily kept up.

The girl slipped and fell, and the boy knelt down to help her up. They quickly got moving again, but the brief pause had allowed Zidane and Mikoto to get closer.

All four ducked under low pipes as the chase continued. The two siblings turned left onto a path that went round a small holding reservoir, into which a sluice poured from above. Excess water from aqueducts surrounding the city poured down through this sluiceway and into this holding reservoir, from where it flowed out through another sluice into the lake, and then back into the canals, repeating the process.

Above and to their left, the eastern wall of the city prevented escape. And at the end, water.

The pair of sibling genomes skidded to a halt at the end of the path, and Zidane and Mikoto were quickly upon them.

"Talk! What are you two doing here?! Where's the black-haired guy?!" Zidane asked, both daggers drawn. Mikoto was grinning.

The boy glared. "None of your damn business! We…we don't even know who you guys are, do we, Arias?"

The girl, Arias, slugged her brother in the chest. "Dumbass, now they know my name!"

"So if you don't know who we are, then why did you run when you bumped into me, huh?!" Zidane insinuated, cornering the two tightly.

The boy faltered. He didn't know how to respond. "I…uh…Okay, so we do know who you are! But that doesn't mean you're getting anything out of us!"

Mikoto groaned. "We're not dealing with this crap." She quickly kicked the boy in the chest and he fell into the reservoir. "Maybe your sister will tell us what we want to know."

Arias glanced back at the water. "Atlas! You moron! You should have picked a different path!"

Atlas sputtered from the reservoir, floundering to stay afloat. Little did he know that the reservoir was only four feet deep.

Zidane quickly inspected the girl, Arias. She wasn't wearing much, which didn't surprise him, given the outfits that some of the genomes wore. She had a vaguely White Mage-like robe on that was really more like a cape with sleeves. A white staff hung from a strap on her back. Her eyes were deep blue, like his and Mikoto's.

"So tell me," he said, pushing her further towards the edge. "What are you to doing here?"

"I…we…back off!" she shouted, throwing her hands out towards both Zidane and Mikoto. There was a flash of light and they were thrown back about five feet.

Mikoto stood up quickly. "That's it…," she muttered, lifting her new sword up for a slash. Arias flinched a little as they blade came down, but it clanged loudly against another sword as a black-haired figure dropped down from the sluice above.

He pushed Mikoto back and grabbed Arias, pulling her into the reservoir. Atlas was still sputtering pathetically behind them.

Zidane caught Mikoto and she quickly balanced herself. The black-haired genome grabbed Atlas and moved further out into the reservoir. Mikoto was about to leap in after them, but he tossed up a round object which quickly exploded and thick smoke shrouded the area.

After a minute, it cleared, and the three genomes were gone. Mikoto growled.

"I would have cut her clean in half had he not stopped my sword," she muttered.

Zidane patted his sister on the back. "Sure that would have been a good idea?"

"…Yes. They are dangerous, especially her."

"Why especially her?" asked Zidane.

Mikoto stared down at the reflection of the twin moons in the water. "I could feel it. She is…special."

"She was good-looking too," Zidane replied.

Mikoto glanced at him. "You're probably related, you know."

Zidane laughed. "Thanks for making me sound like a total sicko, sis."


End file.
